...from the Twilight Zone

This is as good an introduction as I could hope for this band. Having been quite excited about female vocals in Metal for some time, this band have opened a new door and shown themselves a real force and a hidden gem locked away behind the excitement of the more well known bands. Two cds packed with an anthemic 80s Euro Metal feast driven on by the incredible, powerful, bluesy and at times rough vocals of Jutta Weinhold! Traditional Metal fans will love this band and I really have been missing out on this so far, and maybe have so many others too.

It chronicles two bands, Zed Yago and Velvet Viper (the band formed by Jutta and drummer Bubi The Schmeid once Zed Yago's inner turmoil had taken its toll and they split), and both bands' material is gripping and weak moments are not to be found here! Each song is just a strong showing on all fronts and really got me enthusiastic to search out the Zed Yago albums (long out of print unfortuantely). Velvet Viper is on the same lines musically as Zed Yago except the music is infused with a little more energy and a clearer production (these bands are so similar it makes sense to have them on the same "Best Of").

Jutta is just an incredible vocalist, and also created the concept of the Zed Yago story and was the main creative force behind the band! I was just drawn into the epic and storytelling, yet very 80s sound so easily and every song has an inventive approach and leaves you lost in fantasy with your fist in the air. This has a much different feel from the fantasy oriented Power Metal of the 90s, it is refreshing!. As with any effective best of, we have four rare live tracks (from both London and Munich) and a couple of Demo tracks. All are of good quality, as the liner notes point out, the live tracks are really a fan thing, with not so amazing production, mixing and sound quality, though any Metal fan with interest in live recordings could appreciate it. They really show the band's personality and energy to the full. Also included is a video of the band's single "Black Bone Song", which I believe got some good amounts of airplay. It is very good, not high budget but really portrays the world of the Zed Yago band to the maximum, it gives such an insight into the band mentally.

This is definitely a worthy pick up, not only as a good glimplse of what the band is all about but is the only Zed Yago/Velvet Viper material really easily available currently (sadly). If you enjoy this, then the albums are mandatory!