{"id":11453,"date":"2013-05-08T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2013-05-08T00:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=11453"},"modified":"2013-08-17T17:57:31","modified_gmt":"2013-08-17T17:57:31","slug":"album-review-voodoo-six-songs-to-invade-countries-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-voodoo-six-songs-to-invade-countries-to\/","title":{"rendered":"VOODOO SIX – Songs To Invade Countries To (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

VOODOO SIX
Songs To Invade Countries To<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nSpinefarm (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 6.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Considering these guys were given the main support slot for Iron Maiden\u2019s Maiden England 2013 European tour, I expected something far more exciting. Voodoo Six are a London-based British rock act who have released a couple of albums (2008\u2019s First Hit For Free<\/em> and 2010\u2019s Fluke?<\/em>), and while they are very accomplished musicians I hear nothing here that will enable them to stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n

Of course, many will disagree when I state that Songs To Invade Countries To<\/em> is a bland offering, but reviews are about opinion, and this platter really is a no frills affair to say the least. Sure, some bands don\u2019t need an image to heighten their status, but I believe Voodoo Six need something more in their armoury.<\/p>\n

For a start, while the music, with its bluesy tinge, is clearly influenced by all manner of classic rock artists, it fails to deviate from its path. Instead, the music sticks to a selection of middle of the road stompers, opening with the trudge of \u2018Falling Knives\u2019 which reminds me of Detroit rock act Dirty Americans with its direct, punchy structure.<\/p>\n

Vocally, Luke Purdie isn\u2019t afraid to bare his soul. His rough tones litter the album, giving the opus an attitude that reeks of denim \u2019n\u2019 leather. But with a horde of bands attempting that classic 70s and 80s metal feel, I\u2019m desperately seeking something that glimmers in the dark.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sharp Sand\u2019 is another clattering mini-anthem that gallops into the room on the twin guitar attack of Matt Pearce and Chris Jones, and in Joe Lazarus the band clearly have a warhorse of a drummer whose style is best suited to this bruising style of hard rock.<\/p>\n

Even so, Voodoo Six tend to drift off into mediocre dinosaur rock all too often, although they are clearly comfortable in this groove. \u2018Sink Or Swim\u2019 is a simmering little number that, like so many other tracks on the album, eventually shifts into a mid-tempo plod. Admittedly, this is my favourite track on the record, but there\u2019s just something so formulaic about it all, and the chorus doesn\u2019t really stand out despite the doom-laden guitar chug that caresses Purdie\u2019s gnarly cries of \u201cWhen the ship goes down, you either sink or swim\u201d<\/em>. At times this record has the feel of a lead balloon.<\/p>\n

Despite my criticisms, Songs To Invade Countries To<\/em> does have its moments. \u2018Stop\u2019 rides in on a funky bass and grunge-laced groove, while the mood is lightened with the ballad \u2018Lead Me On\u2019, which comes complete with strings and subtle arrangements.<\/p>\n

\u2018Brick Wall\u2019 showcases the bands bluesy influence, and again it\u2019s another muscular rocker featuring driving guitar and solid drums with a strong 70s feel to the proceedings. Tony Newton is an impressive bass player who adds extra weight to the album, but despite the mammoth grooves on offer here which are injected with some swaggering solos, I could think of far better records to invade countries to.<\/p>\n

For me, since the departure of original vocalist Henry Rundell in 2009, Voodoo Six have stepped into the realms of the generic, and while the band have become a mature monster one could argue that they\u2019ve lost their fresh-faced energy, instead opting for standard dynamics in their quest for hard rock domination.<\/p>\n

Of course, I wish these Brit rockers the very best for the future, but Songs To Invade Countries To<\/em> just doesn\u2019t live up to the hype. <\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOODOO SIXSongs To Invade Countries To Spinefarm (2013)Rating: 6.5\/10 Considering these guys were given the main support slot for Iron Maiden\u2019s Maiden England 2013 European tour, I expected something far more exciting. Voodoo Six are a London-based British rock act who have released a couple of albums (2008\u2019s First Hit For Free and 2010\u2019s Fluke?), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,577],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-voodoo-six"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11453"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13651,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11453\/revisions\/13651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}