Formed in 2001 by Alex Voodoo, Seth Van de Loo (Severe Torture) and Tony Norman (ex-Monstrosity/Morbid Angel/Terrorizer), Voodoo Gods has seen a revolving line-up of famous extreme metal legends pass through its doors. Only one EP has so far seen the light of day – 2008’s ‘Shrunken Head’. With Norman long gone, that release saw Van de Loo and Voodoo fill his shoes with icons like Mike Browning and Nergal. Fast-forward to 2014 and again, the line-up has changed: this time consisting of the band’s two core members plus previous recording members Jacek Hiro and Jean Baudin with none other than George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher joining for vocal duties.
The curious intro ‘Return of the Rainbow Serpent’ brings the album into being with a mix of breathing sounds, drips, buzzing flies and a general vibe of beastliness. Rapidly reaching its crescendo, the introductory segment gives way to ‘The Termination of God’. Riffs which owe as much to thrash as death metal, and the anticipated combination of Corpsegrinder and Van de Loo’s vocals immediately draw the listener into VG’s talent encrusted world. The production is rich – as would rightly be expected – and presents the axis of driving riffs/Alex Voodoo’s relentless double bass work perfectly. On top of the dual vocals, another interesting contrast soon becomes apparent in the guitar work: namely the solos. On one hand we get a crazily in your face death metal tone (think something along the lines of Deicide’s ‘Scars of the Crucifix’), and on the other, a more classically sublime metal one full of polish. In a way this aspect alone embodies the album: on one side thrash, melodic, flashy; the other: deathly, dark and piercing.
As the disc progresses, I’m struck by a somewhat odd sense that the quality of songwriting falls in favour of the even numbered tracks. The cool opener eclipses its heir and likewise, track four ‘Cetewayo’ is more rounded than fifth track ‘Endeavors of a Syphilitic Missionary…’. Where the former utilises the elements of the band’s sound to their more potent – the rapid fire bass drums, winding riffs and dual solo work – the latter’s brilliant rhythms are marred by some really distracting fret embellishments. (One other aspect of ‘Cetewayo’ worth mentioning is the section where Baudin performs neat effects similar to those Jason Newsted used to splurge out in his live Metallica bass solos.) Anyhow, as we reach ‘Renaissance of Retribution’ not only does the pattern of even-numbered superiority reinforce itself, we are also confronted with the best track of the bunch. Opening with insidious snaking riffs, all out slaughter ensues as Mr Voodoo’s drums and some excellent riffs dominate the scene along with those commanding vocalists.
Of the remaining tracks, ‘Wrath of the Invisible Children’ has some great guitar interplay and bass work but is at times rather static, a lot like ‘Article 246′. The closer begins promisingly with indigenous African and metal drumming juxtaposed to great effect, before one of the best uptempo jaunts takes hold. Unfortunately it doesn’t go uninterrupted, instead turning into something like a big death metal crab which walks from side to side on the spot for no particular reason.
At the end of the day, Voodoo Gods’ debut is a mixed bag. When not at its best/most rousing, there’s a fair share of material which fails to come across as anything more than an amalgamation of standard extreme metal fare. On the bright side, VG’s harder edge suits Corpsegrinder’s style better than his ‘other’ band Paths Of Possession, and you can bet your bottom dollar that plenty of people will appreciate ‘Anticipation for Blood…’ more than I have.
(6.5/10 Jamie)
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