For the longest time, Crystal Viper had been suffering from a debut album that was too good, in the sense that 2007’s ‘The Curse of Crystal Viper’ was so good that subsequent releases just could not live up to it. In recent years, however, the band has tweaked a few parameters, and both the hyper-melodic ‘Tales of Fire and Ice’ (2019) as well as the more traditional heavy metal of ‘The Cult’ (2021) are easily the best works since their impressive debut album. ‘The Silver Key’ solidifies Crystal Viper’s second peak by largely being an intensified sequel to ‘The Cult’.

Crystal Viper changed its entire rhythm section on ‘The Silver Key’ and that may just be the most notable difference between the album and its equally Lovecraft-inspired predecessor. Where Cederick Forsberg was pretty much a pure power metal drummer, his replacement Kuba Galwas brings along some more modern influences that somehow enhance Crystal Viper’s core traditional heavy metal sound. That surely must have inspired the aggressive energy of opening track ‘Fever of the Gods’ or the incessant double-bass runs of ‘Book of the Dead’. Also, singer Marta Gabriel took over the vacant bassist position and I love her fat, rumbling bass sound.

If there is one trait that ‘The Silver Key’ shares with its two direct predecessors, it would be the consistency of the song material. Where older Crystal Viper albums often relied on a handful of highlights, ‘The Silver Key’ is worth hearing all the way through. Even the mid-tempo track, often a relative weakness of the band, is quite good. ‘The Key Is Lost’ starts out sounding like it will be a typical Crystal Viper mid-tempo track, but the almost marching snare patterns of the chorus and the spacious, black metal-esque dissonant chords in the middle section completely turn the formula on its head.

Playing uncomplicated, upper mid-tempo to fast heavy metal is still what Crystal Viper does best, however. The driving half-gallop of ‘Heading Kadath’, the almost Megadeth-ish riffs of ‘Old House in the Mist’ and the “what if Running Wild sounded darker” vibe of the epic ‘Escape from Yaddith’ are simply anything one could want from Crystal Viper at this point. The propulsive, borderline speed metal of closing track ‘Cosmic Forces Overtake’ is probably my favorite of the bunch, but all songs are simply good to excellent. Even the piano ballad ‘Wayfaring Dreamer’, which really highlights what a powerful, emotive singer Marta Gabriel is.

Whether you listen to traditional heavy metal for the memorable riffs, the triumphant guitar harmonies, the blazing solos or the powerful vocal approach that seems to have become all too uncommon in modern power metal: Crystal Viper has got you covered on ‘The Silver Key’. Time will have to tell whether I prefer it over ‘The Cult’, which was hands-down my favorite Crystal Viper album since their debut, but ‘The Silver Key’ does seem to be the more consistent of the two. If you enjoyed the former, however, you will like the latter. The slightly more aggressive riffing might even draw some new fans in.

Recommended tracks: ‘Cosmic Forces Overtake’, ‘Old House in the Mist’, ‘Escape from Yaddith’, ‘Heading Kadath’