Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
All that glitters is not gold, an old saying and one of the most profound. In music circles, as in politics, it is perhaps the medium that is most abused and most trusted proverb. Music that finds its way on to reality television can be a big hindrance to any aspiring band coming through that has worked their socks off, no matter the genre, to get where they are. The pain, despair, heartache and the struggle that goes hand in hand with any artistic movement is somehow by-passed in favour of quick glory, not even the 15 minutes of fame that Andy Warhol suggested. Instead, perhaps thanks to the way we live now it’s been downsized to the length of time it takes to open your mouth and start to sing.
One band given the time and rightly so is Voodoo Six, the rock band from London that has threatened for while to be considered a great group. The vitality was always there, the ability undoubtedly abundantly clear for everyone to see but it just took time. The vital component that marks the look of glitter into the real deal, the enthused brilliance that makes a group what they are in Songs To Invade Countries By that time has come for Voodoo Six and their electrifying latest album.
With heavy riffs that stomp over so many of the pretenders to the throne, a vocalist who bares all the credentials of being considered a 21st century rock icon and the twin resonance of guitar and Joe Lazarus’ drums that sound as if it has been immersed into a rigorous jam session with the fabled King Midas. Not just the spectacle of glitter, a full blown treasure trove guarded by the best rock has to offer.
Opening with the storming Fallen Knives, the album gives the listener an insight into why Metal stalwarts Iron Maiden rate them highly enough to have them as support on their up-coming tour, a privileged position and one richly deserved. With the excellent Lead Me On, Sharp Sand, Higher Ground and Brick Wall thrown into the mix for good measure Songs To Invade Countries By is an album of real grit and steely determination and stamped all over it, the words 18 carat gold.
Songs To Invade Countries By is due for release on May 27th via Spinefarm Records.
Ian D. Hall