Evolution

by David WhiteEvolution is Viper's first album without original singer Andre Matos; bassist Pit Passarell takes over vocals. While Matos was a great, emotional singer with fantastic range, Passarell is very mediocre. However, the new vocal style works on Evolution, as the songwriting style has changed. The classical influences from Theatre of Fate have been replaced by a pure rock sound. There are some great songs on this album, like "Coming from the Inside," "Rebel Maniacs," and the title track. However, the songwriting is neither as good nor as consistent as on Theatre of Fate.