Tuesday 25 August 2020

ALBUM REVIEW: Voodoo Gods, "The Divinity of Blood"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 15/05/2020
Label: Reaper Entertainment



The Review:

Voodoo Gods are back, some six years after their debut full length, with this ripping follow up. As noted in my 2014 review, the band is a death metal supergroup- of sorts. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher is still here, but Dave Shankle is gone. This record, though, is even better than the debut. Victor Smolski and Jacek Hiro now make up the dual guitar team, Alex Voodoo still masterminds the band and we also have Seth Van de Loo on vocals and Jean Baudin on very technically minded bass guitar.

This is more deathly than its predecessor but it retains some thrash elements along with some NWOBHM flourishes here and there. The production and playing is absolutely superb- it's crystal clear- from Corpsegrinder's enunciation to the precise percussive battering of Alex and Jean. From the opening “Isa” and through the excellent “Rise of The Antichrist” and beyond, the record rips.

It is an interesting mix of the aformentioned styles; Kreator-like thrash mixed with more technically minded death metal makes for a good pairing. It's not all hyper-speed either; there's good tempo variety in “Menace to God”. The Necrophobic cover (“Before The Dawn”- not the Judas Priest ballad, sadly) is a nice mid album touch- with very different mix and sound- but it is the originals which really impress. The album's variety shines through on “From Necromancy To Paraphilia”- everything from sitar to shred sounds-and the jazzy stylings of the intro to “Serenade of Hate” which then segues into vitriolic vocals is pretty unexpected too.

The latter part of the album is no less inspired, with the quasi-title track bringing some melodic thrash while “The Ritual of Thorn” is a more deathly affair. Oddly, the album sees itself out with a longer version of the same track (perhaps a demo version by the sounds of it) and the bonus of the superbly titled “The Absolute Necessity To Kill”- which is great with its gravity defying leads and forceful riffage.

Again, there is much to enjoy on this record; everything is pretty great and much of it is quite unexpected- much like the debut. I'd recommend it to fans of the individuals involved and all fans of death/thrash hybrids. It's creative and different and all the stronger for its originality.

“The Divinity of Blood” is available HERE




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