Voodoo Circle : Broken Heart Syndrome
by Franco Cerchiari
Staff Writer
Voodoo Circle, the project of guitar virtuoso Alex Beyrodt (Sinner, Silent Force), shows what it is that he does best on their sophomore release, Broken Heart Syndrome. Bringing together the best musicians within the hard rock genre, Voodoo Circle can, in no way, go wrong because mixed into the blend is the mastery of Beyrodt, the phenomenal bass guitar of Primal Fear’s Mat Sinner, Kiske/Somerville keyboardist Jimmy Kresic and drummer Mel Gaynor, whose work goes back as far as 1982 when he was a member of Simple Minds (“Don’t You) Forget About Me,”) and has drummed for Meat Loaf, Gary Moore, Samson and scores of others. Pool this kind of talent with the vocal god David Readman, and the result is what one would think – unadulterated, driving, perfect, melodic hard rock with, time and again, the feel of blues rock.
There is not a note out of place, not a vocal passage sung out of tune, nor is there ever a time when the sound is nothing short of spectacular. Touches of blues can be heard (“No Solution Blues,” “Blind Man,” and the fabulous “Devil‘s Daughter,”) and, of course, solo after solo of some of the finest guitar work around is present on each and every track. But blues in and of itself is of little worth unless the “soul” of blues is felt with mournful, thought-provoking and tugging at emotions that perhaps no other genre can bring to the surface. While true, even death metal can bring about a feel, but blues – real blues – is a feel all it’s own. And here on the blues tracks, the feel is staggering. As one gets into the lay of the track, the nodding of the head starts to happen, the eyes close, and the listener gets lost in the moment. That is blues. And it is incredible when it is done correctly. And by all accounts, it is done more than correctly on the blues tracks of Broken Heart Syndrome.
But of course comes the sounds of Pink Cream 69, with the melodic hard-rocking (excellent) ‘This Could Be Paradise,” “When Destiny Calls,” the nasty, hard hitting drums of “Heal My Pain,” and the beautiful, eerie organ of “The Heavens Are Burning,” that breaks wide open after it’s short intro into a fist-pumping rocker. More blues, but this time with more in the way of hard rock comes in the way of “Don’t Take My Heart,” and “I’m in Heaven,” which, in moments, had the same feel as “Street of Dreams,” from Rainbow’s 1983 release, Bent Out Of Shape.
Beyrodt’s talents come full circle on “Wings of Fury,” which fools the listener into thinking that during its opening bars that will be a mid-temp rocker, but within moments, the “fury” spoken of in the song title becomes evident. A listen to the lyrics of “Wings of Fury,” must be made, with “we‘re out on a journey, a one we called life, so now we face the jury, we look in their eyes, nothing has changed, we are left with wings of fury, the prophets have spoken, they‘ve filled us with lies, I feel the end drawing near.” Good stuff, indeed. Closing the CD is the bonus track, “Strangers Lost In Time,” a backwoods, melodic hard rocker.
Broken Heart Syndrome is steeped in the classic sounds of the 1970s, in which the blues hard rock of Zeppelin and Rainbow reigned, coupled with the driving almost neo-classical guitar frenzy of the 1990s, all brought together with the excellent technology that today’s studio can offer. The bottom line is that Broken Heart Syndrome is nearly flawless. Readman’s telltale voice is unmistakable, and there is a reason why he is one of rock’s best. Few vocalists possess the control Readman has. He never goes out of his comfort zone, and his multi-octave voice can reach the high notes with ease, which is suited just as well in the lower end of the scale. The CD’s sound is perfect; not a scratch of the guitar is heard. The passionate feel of CD is tangible, and it can be felt that the band did, indeed, want to offer all its talents, and, for that reason alone, Broken Heart Syndrome is without question a CD that music lovers should include in their collection. What a fantastic collection of tracks.
Genre: Melodic Hard Rock
Track Listing:
No Solution Blues
King Of Your Dreams
Devil’s Daughter
This Could Be Paradise
Broken Heart Syndrome
When Destiny Calls
Blind Man
Hear My Pain
The Heavens Are Burning
Don’t Take My Heart
I’m In Heaven
Wings of Fury
Strangers Lost In Time
Musicians:
David Readman – vocals
Alex Beyrodt – guitars
Mat Sinnner – bass
Mel Gaynor – drums
Jimmy Kresic – keyboards
Label: AFM Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5/10