┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Crystal Viper - Tales Of Fire And Ice + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Rls Date..2020-01-25 Encoder......LAME 3.100 ║ │ │║ Genre.....Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year......2019 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........11 ║ │ │║ Source....CD Covers.......Yes ║ │ │║ Url..http://www.crystalviper.com ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Crystal Viper ║ │ │║ Album : Tales Of Fire And Ice ║ │ │║ Label : AFM ║ │ │║ Cat.No : AFM 690-2 ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ While I will forever love the NWOBHM vibe of Crystal ║ │ │║ ViperÆs debut album æThe Curse Of Crystal ViperÆ, I also ║ │ │║ think the band sorely needed a change of pace, as they got ║ │ │║ stuck in a rut somewhat lately. æTales Of Fire And IceÆ is ║ │ │║ the change the Polish band needed. Whether or not it is a ║ │ │║ change for the better depends on your taste, but for what ║ │ │║ itÆs worth, I think itÆs the finest Crystal Viper album ║ │ │║ since the debut. This time, the band dares to take their ║ │ │║ heavy/power metal roots in a slightly different direction. ║ │ │║ The results are quite refreshing. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ One thing that stands out about æTales Of Fire And IceÆ is ║ │ │║ its production, which is notably more polished than on the ║ │ │║ last few Crystal Viper albums. This increases the ║ │ │║ accessibilty of the material. And while that could be an ║ │ │║ issue for the old schoolers among Crystal ViperÆs audience, ║ │ │║ they needed this step forward. æTales Of Fire And IceÆ has ║ │ │║ a somewhat darker, more contemporary vibe than other recent ║ │ │║ Crystal Viper albums and the songs appear to be built ║ │ │║ around Marta GabrielÆs vocals more than ever. The change is ║ │ │║ notable, but not so much that Crystal Viper feels like a ║ │ │║ completely different band. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Every song on æTales Of Fire And IceÆ has its own identity ║ │ │║ and that might just be the albumÆs biggest asset. In the ║ │ │║ past, the uptempo tracks in particular followed a similar ║ │ │║ formula, but they are all distinguishable here. From the ║ │ │║ Nocturnal Rites-isms of æBright LightsÆ to the borderline ║ │ │║ speed metal of æOne QuestionÆ and the epic grandeur of ║ │ │║ æTomorrow Never Comes (Dyatlov Pass)Æ, you will not have ║ │ │║ any trouble telling them apart. Opening track æStill AliveÆ ║ │ │║ even reminded me of Onmyo-zaÆs brilliant æSamayoiÆ, both in ║ │ │║ its main riff and in the hopeful melancholy of its ║ │ │║ atmosphere. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ The song that convinced me the direction on æTales Of Fire ║ │ │║ And IceÆ is the right one was æCrystal SphereÆ. Though ║ │ │║ unmistakably a power metal song, the song breaks with some ║ │ │║ of the songwriting tropes of the genre. A very climactic ║ │ │║ track with some delightfully dramatic guitar arrangements. ║ │ │║ As a whole, the guitar arrangements seem to be more ║ │ │║ thought-out this time around anyway. æUnder IceÆ an ║ │ │║ æNeverending FireÆ are fine mid-tempo tracks, but if you ║ │ │║ want to hear the best mid-tempo track of the album, get the ║ │ │║ CD version. That is my preferred format anyway, but the ║ │ │║ Accept meets eighties Heart sound of æDream WarriorsÆ is ║ │ │║ nothing short of excellent. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ In the metal scene, maturing musically is often feared or ║ │ │║ frowned upon. æTales Of Fire And IceÆ is not an album for ║ │ │║ people who look at music that way, but the songwriting on ║ │ │║ the album is better than on any Crystal Viper record since ║ │ │║ the debut and Marta Gabriel sounds more varied than she ║ │ │║ ever has. The sophistication and subtlety of the ║ │ │║ songwriting will likely contribute to the longevity of the ║ │ │║ record, though it is too early to say for sure. Whether ║ │ │║ æTales Of Fire And IceÆ is the start of a new chapter for ║ │ │║ Crystal Viper or a one-off experiment also remains to be ║ │ │║ seen, but itÆs good. And in the end, thatÆs what counts. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Recommended tracks: æCrystal SphereÆ, æStill AliveÆ, ║ │ │║ æTomorrow Never Comes (Dyatlov Pass)Æ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Originally written for my Kevy Metal weblog ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 1. Prelude 1:31 │ │ 2. Still Alive 3:42 │ │ 3. Crystal Sphere 5:02 │ │ 4. Bright Lights 3:43 │ │ 5. Neverending Fire 4:58 │ │ 6. Interlude 0:55 │ │ 7. Under Ice 4:30 │ │ 8. One Question 4:18 │ │ 9. Tomorrow Never Comes (Dyatlov Pass) 3:50 │ │ 10. Tears Of Arizona 4:39 │ │ 11. Dream Warriors (Bonus Track) 4:54 │ │ │ │ │ │ Total Length : 00:42:02 │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘