Label: Anko Music
Review by Tony Cannella
Viper Venom are another band from Italy. They play heavy – and I do mean heavy – metal. Their band line-up features Miriam Maiorano who goes by the name of Miriam In Chains on vocals. She is joined in the band by: Stefano (Guitar), Marco J (Bass) and Dario (Drums). Their new EP is titled Unskinned and it is 5-songs and 20-minutes worth of a pure heavy metal assault. The CD begins with “Silence Speaks” and it is a hard hitting heavy opener with some truly heavy guitar riffs that are sure to evoke some comparisons with Black Sabbath. Lead singer Miriam In Chains vocals are all over the map. She has a very unique style. One moment she can be screaming and the next she is letting out a high pitched ear-splitting wail. She is definitely a solid front woman and the rest of the band are no slouches either, just listen to the guitar solo courtesy of Stefano on the opening track. Next we have “Angry Grace”. The title is appropriate as this song comes across as an angry, aggressive number. It has several tempo changes but is a stylistically aggressive number. “Tears of Banshee” opens with a bell tolling and starts off more laid back before upping the heaviness and again this track features a number of tempo changes. It goes from soft to heavy and back again making it one of the more interesting songs that are offered on the CD. Once again a nice solo by Stefano on this one. “Rise Me” is next and this just a no-holds barred aggressive metal song and one of the highlights for sure. The final track “Quiet Doom” is probably my favorite song of the five that are featured here. It is a moody song that closes this CD in style and it really shows what Viper Venom are capable of. Unskinned is a fine release from a band that I am sure will appeal to fans of heavy music everywhere.
Rating – 70/100
Tracklist
- Silence Speaks
- Angry Grace
- Tears of Banshee
- Rise Me
- Quiet Doom
Line Up
- Miriam In Chains – Vocals
- Stefano – Guitar
- Marco J – Bass
- Dario – Drums
Links