REVIEW: Viper Arms – Black Aura (Album)

We at Invicta Mag believe there’s a real lack of female fronted bands. Sure the likes of Paramore, Evanescence and Halestorm come to mind but after a few minutes it becomes a real struggle to think of many more. For whatever the reason behind this, it’s always refreshing when a new female fronted band emerges. With that being said, we have another one here with Viper Arms. Although the band have been known in their hometown of Turku for years, the band have just released their debut album, Black Aura on March 3rd.

The current line-up formed in 2016 and started recording the debut album, Black Aura straight away. Despite not taking long to put-out their debut album, the band weren’t short on influences. In fact, the name refers to the hometown of Viper Arms which is divided by the Aura river… Pretty cool, huh? This reference to the river also translates onto the songs from the album as well, with songs mimicking the harsh rapids whilst others possess a soothing calmness about them.

Releasing a debut album must be a daunting one to say the least. Countless bands have hit instant success from the off, whereas some fail to make a connection and never get the ball rolling. Regardless of what happens next for Viper Arms, the band are just happy to get their first album out to the public: “For us, making a full-length album has always been an important milestone. Some songs on Black Aura are from the very beginning of the Viper Arms era, others were composed just months before we started recording the album. Our music is a way of unleashing our inner darkness, our Black Aura.”

The album on the whole manages to comfortably balance between rock and hard rock. It seems that Viper Arms have a talent in producing catchy songs that are certainly far from weak. Time Bomb and Sugar Rush provide good showings of the previous statement, whilst songs like To the Wolves and Everything/Nothingness prove that even with their slower songs, this band knows how to kick it. It’s hard to say anything really negative about the album, maybe the fact that some songs don’t stand out and instead just flow from one another can be seen as a down? However, the fact that this album is easy to listen to shouldn’t really be criticized. There’s just something about this album that just makes it easy to listen to. Maybe it’s the soothing vocals or maybe it’s the atmospheric yet hammering melodies, but one thing is for sure; a beautifully composed darkness has been produced.

We strongly suggest you listen to this album irrelevant of what your preferred music choice is. The fact is, Black Aura possesses qualities that a great deal of people can find enjoyment in. 

Viper Arms – Black Aura was released March 3rd, so go check it out!