Night Viper

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Night Viper functions as a heavy metal ensemble fronted by a female vocalist while weaving thrash and NWOBHM ingredients into its own strain of loud, retro-leaning hard rock. Sofie Lee Johansson and Tom Sutton, whose credits include Horisont, the Order of Israfel, and an earlier stint in Church of Misery, launched the project in 2014. After several membership shifts, the group stabilized around Johansson on vocals, Sutton on guitar, Jonna Karlsson on drums, Ruben Åhlander Persson on bass, and Emil Ridderstolpe on guitar. Referencing an eclectic range of touchstones that spans Judas Priest, Pentagram, Metallica, Entombed, Coven, and Motörhead, the band delivered its self-titled debut album in 2015 through Svart Records. Early 2017 brought two blistering singles, “Summon the Dead” and “No Escape,” ahead of the follow-up full-length Exterminator, issued that October on Listenable Records.