Voodoo Circle have not much in common with W.E.T. besides one thing: the hype! The first two releases of the German all-star-band were perceived very positively by critics and fans ... and as far as I read this is the same with this new effort.
The opening track "Graveyard City" is a strong beginning. It kicks ass! Voodoo Circle celebrate the old time hard rock of the 70's - really, really old school classic hard rock with lots of bluesy elements.
Amazingly, it still sounds quite fresh, because you haven't heard this style of music so often in the last few years.
Actually, I could save the rest of my review, since all the songs go into this direction.
I'd like to point out "Cry For Love" - this is a real hit (and the first single), which could have been an all-time-classic 40 years ago ... and sung by a different band, but later more on that.
"Tears In The Rain" and "The Saint And The Sinner" are also really strong tracks with their moody vibe and their classic arrangements.
The production is also very good, very earthy - it fits perfectly to the songs. The band sounds also very dynamic and like a well-rehearsed team. But this is not surprising with this top-class musicians.
Sadly, Voodoo Circle have one big problem: a massive lack of own identity! The whole album sounds like Whitesnake or Deep Purple - in every corner. The songwriting, the way of playing, even the way David Readman sings here is way too much like David Coverdale. While listening to the whole album I thought too often I've heared this all before on different Whitesnake records ... this can't be. It is one thing to pay homage to their favorite band, but to me it sounds like most parts of the songs are copied from Whitesnake. There aren't any surprises. That leads very fast to boredom and after 7 songs I needed a break.
The only song that breaks the pattern is "The Killer In You" - this one sounds like a Pink Cream 69 song.
Don't get me wrong, it is all very well played and most of the songs are good but if I want to hear a Whitesnake album I grab one of those. Voodoo Circle need to find their own sound and their own ideas.
If you are a fan of blues oriented classic hard rock then you can have a look at "More Than One Way Home". You'll find some pretty good rockin' tunes on here. However I dislike the lack of own creativity. If you can overlook the fact that this band sounds exactly like another big one, then you can add one point more to the score. Solid classic rock!
7/10
Tracklist:
01. Graveyard City *
02. Tears In The Rain *
03. Heart Of Babylon
04. Cry For Love *
05. Alissa
06. The Ghost In Your Heart
07. Bane Of My Existence
08. More Than One Way Home
09. The Killer In You *
10. The Saint And The Sinner
11. Victim Of Love
12. Open Your Eyes
* best tracks
http://www.voodoocircle.de
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