The album is a concept album. Concerning the lives of a Louisiana family during the 1930s and their exploits with voodoo. The album opens with the appropriately titled "Louisiana Darkness". Basically synthesizers and some creepy child-like singing from King Diamond, there's not much to write home about for this track, a creepy intro though. "LOA House" brings on the metal assault. A huge riff and blast beats dominate the song while creepy lyrics set the stage for the concept of the album. King Diamond's trademark falsetto is in full effect on this album, so people that are turned off by it will not be changed by this album. The song is classic King Diamond, but I could have used a little more crisp and clear production, the vocals are a tad muffled on this track and most of the album.
"Life After Death" is a spooky song. A chugging metal riff is accompanied by the King's organ, a very nocturnal sound, something which I quite enjoy on his albums. The drumming is somewhat off in terms of timing, and overall, the production and tightness of the band was not great on this album. A decent song, but it sounds muddy at times, especially King's voice, which should be the centerpiece of the song. Title track "Voodoo" is an interesting song. It opens with some tribal drums atop a big riff. Production is very 1990s on the track, and far too many layers of seemingly digital effects make the album suffer it terms of fidelity. A decent solo from the late Dimebag Darrell (RIP) breathes some life into the song, but it's not a King Diamond classic for me.
"A Secret" is classic King Diamond. A nice classical-influenced riff rides along with Diamond's macabre lyrics about all things that go bump in the night. The drumming is much tighter on this track, and King's vocals are much easier to hear. One of the best tracks on the album, definitely a step back in the right direction, with some killer lead guitar to boot. "Salem" continues the story of the album. Fans of King Diamond's storytelling will delight in the complexity of the story, but I for one am not usually a big fan of heavy metal concept albums. But upon further reading, I can appreciate how King has tried something different in the metal world, and the stories usually make for an interesting read. In any case, the song is about a house servant named Salem who practices voodoo with a devilish doctor. Ummmmm, in any case the song has some cool moments. I like the operatic chorus, and the main riff is quite heavy and infectious. A decent track, with a great solo from the underrated guitarist Andy LaRocque.
"One Down Two to Go" starts off with an acoustic, almost folk-like introduction.Of course that turns into a blast of metal to melt your face (metaphorically). The song reminds me of Mercyful Fate, a very speedy track, with some great guitar aerobics. Easily the best song on the album, don't judge it by the fairly lame acoustic sections, they just provide tension to amp up the song even more when it really kicks in. "Sending of Dead" is a weird song. The first part of the song features some jazzy drummer and circus-like organ playing, before of course picking up with a heavy riff and blast-beat drumming. Not bad, but not one of my favorites by the King.
"Sarah's Night" opens with a harpsichord introduction. Orchestral strings back up King Diamond as he sings about the tale of Sarah (the daughter of the family in the story) as she is possessed by a voodoo spirit. A creepy song and some very disturbing vocals from the King, but not a great song musically speaking. The harpsichord sounds cheap and dated even for the time, as do the strings. "The Exorcist" is almost a great tune, but King Diamond's vocals are muffled and have a weird reverse effect applied to them. I love the white-hot guitars, and some great drumming from John Luke Hebert. The bell sound in the song is truly haunting, as are the double-tracked guitar leads, a great sound. A good song.
The very long album continues with "Unclean Spirits". Not really a song in the strictest definition, it is just some creepy organ with what appears to be an exorcist try to remove a demon from someone's body. An interesting and creepy interlude, but nothing special. "Cross of Baron Samedi" is a decent song. Telling the story of a magical ancient cross belonging to an undead spirit, the song's subject matter is somewhat over-the-top, but most of King Diamond's albums are, so again, if you enjoy his brand of storytelling, you will likely find plenty to like here. The song is slow in many sections, with operatic vocals telling the saga of the cross. The song picks up with a thunderous riff, telling the story of how the cross was used on Sarah. Not bad at all, and at this point the story is actually becoming kind of interesting. "If They Only Knew" is a short interlude with the character of Salem speaking about the origins of the house that the family lives in and why it is haunted. "Aftermath" closes the album with Salem divulging more about the what happened to Sarah and how her baby is speaking in tongues. Creepy.
"Voodoo" is a good album. Casual fans of King Diamond might want to explore the more accessible "Them" and Abigail" first. But, for fans of him and the band, there is a lot to like here. Somewhat too long, with some spotty production, the album is not a masterpiece. But the storytelling is as dark and foreboding as usual, with some great music to go along with the story.
Rating-7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment