Arizona band Vipera aims to thrill with a feisty and engaging bouncy crossover thrash metal sound that they describe as “fast, heavy and angry.”
The Phoenix band started out in 2022, when vocalist and lead guitarist Jacob Lopez and bassist Ellis Gill decided to start a band. They soon recruited rhythm guitarist Abram Tribby and drummer Xavier Romero to complete the lineup. Vipera released debut mini-EP Thrash Isn’t Dead in 2023, followed by their debut album Ex Nihilo last month, which focuses on themes of depression, isolation and anger toward political and social struggles.
And on the sound they’ve crafted since, Abram told us: “For people who haven’t listened to us yet, expect catchy melodies, fast riffs, relatable lyrics, and heavy breakdowns.”
From the album, the band sent us the second track Tetanus. It opens up with a fun stabbing riff over powerful drums, which develops, then drops into chugging guitars before a fast-paced driving riff and big cymbals supporting Jacob’s engaging vocals. That flows into a melodic chorus, which ends with another chugging riff teeing up a short verse and another chorus. A palm-muted guitar comes in to set up a naughty guitar solo that leads us into gruff vocals, then fast-paced drums and a driving riff lead us into a final blast of the chorus. And the track concludes in style with a bumbling bassline introducing a low-tuned guitar riff.
On the track, Abram told us: “Tetanus has definitely been our fan favorite in our local scene for a while. For those who haven’t listened, Tetanus is a fast-paced, high-energy song with a catchy chorus and a heavy breakdown.”
There’s plenty more thrashy goodness on Ex Nihilo, including the feisty Kill The Killers and Down With The Cult, the more melodic Wasteland and Invisible Man. And it wraps up with the instrumental penultimate track Andromeda, before the deliciously moody and vicious final track The Chaos Inside brings the album to an intense conclusion.
On the album, Abram told us: “We’re very excited to have just released Ex Nihilo, it’s been a long time coming. It’s been a project we’ve all put a lot of ourselves into. The album in its entirety is very much a crossover thrash album, but shows our variety as musicians with some songs dipping into nu-metal, metalcore and some of our other favorite sub-genres.”
The Vipera sound has been influenced by metal greats like Metallica, Slayer, Gojira, Korn, and Slipknot. And on what inspires them to write music, Abram explains: “Many of our songs deal with mental health, ‘the cry that goes unheard.’ An issue all too familiar, songs like S.O.S. and Invisible Man cover feelings of depression and loneliness. Another topic we cover in a few songs is our frustration with our current political situation here in the U.S. Songs like Kill the Killers and Down with the Cult don’t pull any punches when venting our anger.”
Vipera will be busy writing music and playing shows around Phoenix for the remainder of the year. They’ll also be competing in Alice Cooper’s Proof is in the Pudding competition, which began this week, and are currently doing a merch giveaway on social media.
You can follow Vipera on Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
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