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New release from: MARTA GABRIEL – Metal Queens (July 30, 2021)
Marta Gabriel is known as a frontwoman of heavy metal power force Crystal Viper who recently released a brand new studio album, The Cult on Listenable Records.
She’s also a seasoned session musician, and either was a guest on albums or appeared on stage with the following acts. Vader, Manilla Road, Jack Starr’s Burning Starr, Majesty and Witch Cross.
Technically, Metal Queens is her first solo album, although it’s a very unusual release. Metal Queens is also a celebration and tribute to female singers and female-fronted heavy metal acts of the ‘80s. The original Metal Queens!
Marta Gabriel elaborates, “I didn’t plan to record this kind of album, it actually was a spontaneous idea. And yes, I realize that some people might think it’s quite odd to do a solo album, that includes cover songs only. But the idea behind this project is simpler than you think. It’s all about the music, my biggest passion, and about sharing the gift of music. Music makes our lives better and more enjoyable, it adds colors to our grey reality. The whole idea is also connected with my band, Crystal Viper. We simply love recording cover songs, as it’s both our personal tribute to the artists and bands that inspire us, which showed us the way, and we can show our fans where it’s all coming from, what are our roots, where is our musical DNA coming from. And it’s the same here, with this album.”
Crystal Viper
Marta continues, “When I started to sing in local bands and later founded Crystal Viper, I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, or start a revolution. I wanted to follow that path I already knew, the path of heavy metal. I was, and I still am, a big fan of many both male and female singers. We managed to record a bunch of cover songs with Crystal Viper through the years, we recorded songs of acts such as Manilla Road, King Diamond, Exciter, Grim Reaper, Agent Steel, Dokken, and as we’ve been doing that for a while, that list is quite long. But when I think about it, the list of cover songs I would still like the record to be even longer. Much longer.
“I love recording, I love playing, and I love performing. That’s what I wanna do in my lifetime, and that’s what I do. I wrote most of the songs for the 8 studio albums and a bunch of singles we did with Crystal Viper, and I joined or launched several other side projects, but that’s not enough. I want to do more and more!
“These days the term “female-fronted metal” is used to describe bands that simply have a female singer, although some people try to suggest it’s a genre, while obviously, it’s not. It’s like saying that “male-fronted metal” is a genre, or that “American metal” is a genre. Makes no sense, right? Anyway, the other term that sometimes shows up is ‘Metal Queens’, and I think it’s very cool, as it shows the respect for the ladies that wave the flag of metal.
“The metal scene is of course very male-dominated, and the female singers and musicians are often something exotic, something unusual. But as I mentioned, I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel when I started to sing, when I entered this amazing world of heavy metal. There were female singers and female musicians that were doing that before me. They were MY Metal Queens. So the album which you hold in your hands, Metal Queens, was made because of all those reasons, and because I wanted to show the world who are my personal Metal Queens.
Inspirations
Marta once again, “Kate and Acid, what a great singer and what a great band! Lee Aaron later directed her career into different genres, but “Metal Queen” is such a classic, great song, great album, and one of my favorite music videos. Maryann Scandiffio, the frontwoman of the New York’s finest Blacklace, what a voice! Leather Leone, one of my absolute favorite vocalists, I listened to the albums she did with Chastain hundreds of times. JuttaWeinhold of Zed Yago and Velvet Viper – another huge inspiration, and a phenomenal artist. Rock Goddess, featuring the awesome Jody Turner (and her sister Julie behind the drums!) – great “heavy metal rock ‘n roll” act!
“I remember my husband had a videotape with their live show, and we were watching it again and again. Malteze, with the great Barbara Malteze. Wow, just wow! Outstanding voice. Wendy O’ Williams… I originally wanted to record one of her songs as a potential bonus track, as she was both a metal artist and a respected vocalist on a punk scene, but after we heard how it came out, we decided to keep it in the main program of the album. Hellion, with the amazing Ann Boleyn. No wonder people called her “the female Dio”, an outstanding vocalist!
“Azucena (born Azucena Martin-Dorado Calvo) of Santa had no easy life, but her legacy lives on, and I wanted to record one of her songs for so long… And yes, the fantastic Doro Pesch of Warlock, probably the biggest and most important female-fronted heavy metal, and an ultimate inspiration for both myself as a singer, and my band Crystal Viper.
“I had such a great time recording all those songs, and so much fun. And of course, it was a great honor for me, to celebrate the legacy of those fantastic vocalists. I have a feeling that this project is not yet completed, it’s not over, as there are so many more great singers, so many great vocalists out there, and I would love to record so many other cover songs! What do you think, should I? Should I do Metal Queens II? Time will tell, and in the meantime enjoy this album!”
LINE UP :
Marta Gabriel – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar
Eric Juris – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, choirs
Cederick Forsberg – drums and percussion, choirs
SPECIAL GUESTS:
John Gallagher (Raven) – bass guitar on ”My Angel”
Harry Conklin (Jag Panzer) – vocals on ”Light In The Dark”
Todd Michael Hall (Riot V) – vocals on ”Call Of The Wild”
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