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I've said it many times before. Apery is never good for a genre. When seemingly every artist in a genre is merely aping their venerable predecessors, that genre runs dry. It becomes stagnant and un-artful. With a heavy heart, I have to admit that I'm seeing this in traditional metal. Bands offer nothing new except for the (hopefully) skillful replication of their heroes. Most of them aren't bad at it, but it's gotten to the point that the genre provides little excitement. Such is the case with the new Crystal Viper album. This is old, heard it all before traditional metal done well. It's good music and some of the songs will get stuck in your head, but it isn't anything new or tremendously interesting.

Lots of praise was thrust upon the first few Crystal Viper albums for being a breath of fresh air, but on Legends, they sound rehashed and imitative. Marta Gabriel's voice is competent, but she doesn't have the necessary flair or attitude for her genre. There are some riffs that will get your headbanging, and enough to keep your interest, but they can‘t carry the album. Many of the songs blend in with each other, and frankly, I don't remember much of the second half of this album. Crystal Viper are struggling to find their sound in a muddled field, and they have the ability to find that. They just aren't there yet.

There's a clear level of honesty here. Crystal Viper play the music they want to play, regardless of how many other bands are playing it and how they sound. I'll always give them kudos for that. Let's just see if they can play their music with a bit more bravado next time.