Imperial Vipers - Broken Album Review

Review of Imperial Vipers album Broken.

A British five-piece formed in 2005, Imperial Vipers have played alongside Supergrass and Marky Ramone and had support from Colin Murray and perhaps more impressively Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. They tour the UK throughout April and May.

Beginning with a thudding bass line and swaggering guitars, 'The Sickness' introduces Imperial Vipers as a solid rock and roll act, but unfortunately this proves to be a false dawn. For all the testosterone that oozes from the likes of 'Into Forever', the tunes just don't have enough about them to sustain interest for the duration of the record. 'Victim' is exemplary of the failings on the album, a mean riff which catches the ear results in a track that passes by with a lack of stimulation. 'Another Suicide' stands out from the mediocrity with impressive musicianship, but ventures in grunge - 'Broken' - and punk - 'I'll Guess' - are disenchanting. The unpredictable tempo changes of 'Loves Fortune' provide a moment of interest toward the end of the collection, but by that time it's a lost cause as momentum has long since been lost. Given that Alan McGhee hailed this act as 'the most exciting hard rock band since AC/DC', this is hugely disappointing and not worthy of mention alongside the Australian legends.

Alex Lai