Voodoo Circle reactivated by Alex Beyrodt. It’s not a coincidence since apart from the fact that he saw the exit from Primal Fear, he probably did the same for his bass partner Mat Sinner from his band. The case certainly has a lot of juice but it’s not at present.
Voodoo Circle is Alex’s band when back in 2008 he decided to break away from power metal circles and pursue his other love. Hard rock. The sound he adopted was and still is stepping on the golden age of Whitesnake and consequently bands like Led Zepelin, Rainbow etc. Alongside him we find the ever-present David Readman who has provided his voice on all but one of the band’s albums.
“Hail To The King” is a pleasantly predictable album. Purely guitar driven it offers the listener exactly what they want to hear. Well-played hard rock that if you don’t pay too much attention you might think you’re listening to Whitesnake. This is helped by David’s voice that here sounds huskier than usual.
Here I have to say that no Voodoo Circle don’t toil without tomorrow, ok there are some parts that strongly remind of their British counterparts, but they present their own version of a much loved sound. It’s worth mentioning that here we find two special compositions. “All For One” and “Billy’s Song” are compositions by Tony Carey, keyboard player in the legendary Rainbow.
So “Hail To The King” has a little bit of everything. An album that sounds pleasant, honest and well played. Compositions like “Let It Rock” and “Black Country”, without wanting to do the rest of them justice, will stay in your mind for a long time. It’s definitely one of the strongest releases of 2024 in the business.
