In the mid-eighties, Jutta Weinhold, a blues singer, founded a Heavy Metal band called ZED YAGO in Hamburg. The band released two albums in the late eighties before she left the band to start all over again due to a lawsuit over the band's name. She formed the band VELVET VIPER in 1990 and the band released their debut effort "Velvet Viper" in 1991 featuring Franco Zuccaroli, David Moore and Lars Ratz. The band followed it up with "The 4th Quest for Fantasy" in 1992 that featured Bubi, Lars Ratz and Roy Last. The band soon called it quits in 1993 with Jutta Weinhold going on to have a solo band as well as appearing on compilations. Her powerful voice made her a much sought after sessions artist. Her expressive voice is suitable for Rock Music as well as for blues and gospel and she has been a part of several musicals. She resurrected the band in 2016 with guitarist Holger Max and together they wrote the 11 songs. The album is produced by Kai Henson who has worked with artists like GAMMA RAY and HELLOWEEN among others.

The album opens up with the ballad-esque "Don't Leave before Wintertime" and the track is a classic Heavy Metal song. Riff-heavy and catchy, the track is a fitting start to the album. "Shadow Ryche" is an ever-so-slight gloomy track and has a groove quality to it. The chorus is catchy and choir sounds form its background. The title track "Respice Finem" starts off as a ballad and has a strong bass foundation. The song is atmospheric and takes time to build up. "Dangerous" and "Law Of Rock" are two tracks that fit in the Classic Rock category spiked with Heavy Metal bits that are hard not to headbang to. "Stormy Birth" is a slow song and for the final track "Loherangrin-Lohengrin", the singer says she uses a theme from Wagner's opera Lohengrin.

This album is a revelation of sorts. Jutta Weinhold's singing is powerful and belies her age. She can definitely hold her own as a Heavy Metal vocalist. The band manages to weave Heavy Metal and Classic Rock sounds into a solid album. Although with a runtime of over one hour, the album may seem a little long-winded for modern Metal listeners. But then, this album is not for them. This is strictly for fans of Old School Classic Rock and especially for German Metal fans that have followed the singer's career. The title track itself is over 10 minutes long! I would recommend this album for its powerful vocals and its Classic Rock vibe riffs.Production 7