Bad Marilyn – Eye Of The Snake

I know it’s a stupid cliché, but what do most people think of first when they think of Switzerland? Right, it’s either cheese or chocolate. I have nothing against Swiss cheese or chocolate, but today I have something much better for you: Bad Marilyn‘s debut album, “Eye Of The Snake”. The band around singer Andrea Raffaela presents eleven plus one impressive power metal songs with a heavy dose of death metal and deep growls. Let’s start with the first song.

.

EYE OF THE SNAKE

I Die Inside

The album opener and first single begins with powerful, dark guitar riffs and demonic growls before the vocals become clean for the catchy chorus. This is power metal at its finest. You might think that the vocals on “I die Inside” are done by two singers, but in fact it is only Andrea in her full vocal range.

.

Eye of the Snake

The title track of the album is also a bull’s eye. Those of you who play Dart will know what I mean. This time the vocals are much sweeter than on the previous track. And again you would think of another singer and fail. I can’t forget to mention the wonderful guitar solo, very melodic and precise!

Perfect moment

Now it is time for some more keyboard melodies. They lead us into a mid-tempo song, melodic and catchy. It is one of those songs that everyone should like. It contains some nice drum breaks and although most of the lyrics are sung clean, there is a short growled intermezzo in one “Perfect Moment”.

Revenge

Call it revenge, call it vengeance. Bad Marilyn calls it “Retribution”. It is a very dark song. Most of the vocals are growled, but when they become clean from time to time, they are bittersweet and mean. Just like a good and perfect retribution should be.

Children of Tomorrow

There are a lot of songs about “Children of…”, we’re not talking about those of the dark, the damned, the revolution, the sun or the sea, but of tomorrow. Piano notes and a keyboard melody open our minds, clean vocals dominate this time and lead to a very melodic song and I am very sure it will become a highlight of every show when band and audience sing the chorus together as “Children of Tomorrow”.

.

When she’s gone

Things are getting rough! A heavy guitar leads us into the bad situation “When She’s Gone”. Thank the Highest Being that singer Andrea is not gone, but her wonderful clean voice reigns over this pure power metal anthem.

Revolution

Now we come to one of my favourite songs, “Revolution”. From the title alone it should be my favourite track. I’ll make it short; it doesn’t disappoint me with its nasty growls and driving bass lines that pull the whole song with all four strings. Nagging screams lead to a harmonic guitar solo that takes the song to the next level.

Legend of Salvation

After this really heavy stuff it is time to get a bit softer. Keys and bass dominate like two brothers in arms. Guitar and drums accompany them to maintain the level reached before. The clean vocals sound very narrative, a true “Legend of Salvation” deserves nothing less anyway.

Queen of Thunder

If KISS‘ Gene Simmons was the “God of Thunder”, Andrea is the “Queen of Thunder”, bolt and lightning. I accept neither gods nor queens, but I do accept this track, which starts slowly with piano notes, only to pick up speed with a brutal guitar riff. I would have expected a lot of growling in this song for some reason, but it fails completely. Nevertheless, the clean vocals have a rough and mean sustain, so I am more than satisfied with this song.

Eternal Pain

Drums and some kind of background choir give us a bit of a break until guitar and bass take control and deliver “Eternal Pain”. Indeed, this pain is a very sweet pain, as sweet as the clean vocals. Perhaps the pain is even sweeter than sugar, so that this pain can indeed remain eternal.

We will rise

If you think this is a cover version of the same titled Arch Enemy song, you are wrong. So was I. It is again a great moment for drums and bass at the beginning. It is the official closer of the album and could become a kind of trademark song for Bad Marilyn. Like a phoenix from the ashes, they will rise from the ashes of their former bands, broken dreams and wounded souls. For me, the theme of the song is heart warming, the positive message and spark you need from time to time.

Stay Awake

The bonus track of the whole release certainly is a power ballad. In many ways it is more of a ballad than of power, but that does not stop us from enjoying it as much as the other songs of the album. Now is the time to sit back, relax and let your soul dream away trying to “Stay Awake”.

 

The summary

After almost 60 minutes of playing time, it is time for the summary. I could write another 10,000 boring and self-repeating words, but I’ll make it short. Congratulations! Very well done, Bad Marilyn! I had very high expectations and feared they were too high, but you have not disappointed me. You have proved that Switzerland is not only the land of cheese and chocolate, but also the home of some sophisticated, powerful metal. And here I want to make it clear, this little country in the middle of Europe is home to some of the most excellent metal bands ready to conquer the world.

Short Facts

---

Online:

Bad Marilyn

Andrea Raffaela

Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands’ official sources and don’t stream music for free because it steals the artists’ income.

---

Proof-reading by DeepL

Photo credits: Alexandra Hauser