| CD REVIEW (Alex Beyrodt’s) Voodoo Circle |
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Band : (Alex Beyrodt’s) Voodoo Circle German guitarist Alex Beyrodt started his career at the tender age of 15 with the firmest intent to make it as a professional musician. While most his band mates from the first decade as a guitarist either got married (and children), went into studies to get serious jobs…and so on…Alex persevered! At the age of 18 he’d released a first single with his band Wild Axes. He was playing 3 gigs a week in US Army clubs and played his first big open air festival (Hockenheimring) in front of 25,000…but was also still going to school after coming home at 5 o’clock in the morning. At 24 he left Germany for Los Angeles in search for better opportunities…only to get ripped off by some manager. Then, on a more positive note and change in his career, he was recruited into the Sinner camp in 1988. This changed Alex’ life completely: first of all he moved back to Germany (Stuttgart), he regularly recorded albums with noted producers, got to play the wildest clubs all over the world, and did so in support of a lot of bands which he had only been able to admire from afar as a youth! After a couple of years with Sinner, Alex felt the need to do something else…return to his musical roots, so to say…and started Shortino with American singer Paul Shortino (of Rough Cutt & Quiet Riot repute), which meant moving to LA again. But the guitarist was far from happy with the band situation, and decided to go back to Germany and pick up his career with Sinner again. By the year 2000 Alex had grown tired of that again, so he decided to quit and start is own band: The Sygnet. After the release of the album the band went on tour with Doro, and then Alex got into serious disagreements about the direction of the band with his singer…so The Sygnet split! The guitarist didn’t rest though: he immediately got in contact with his friends in the music businesss, and started Silent Force from scratch! After three albums and tours with the likes of Stratovarius and UDO, several festival appearances, trips to the US and Japan, Alex again began feeling this gnawing feeling that there was something missing in his career. You see, he’d always been a fan of Classic Rock, and as a guitarist doted on the stylings of Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen. Over the years, he’d actually frequently written songs in that style, and been forced to shelve ‘em because they didn’t fall in with the style of the band he was in at that moment. Alex wanted his new band to be something truly unique, so he went out on a seach for musicians who could already entertain a crowd on their own force, but now work together as a unit! To start with, the singer: David Readman, which we all know from Pink Cream ’69 (as well as Adagio, the Missa Mercuria Rock Opera, III, his 2007 solo album, and several guest appearances on other artists’ albums)…and frankly I have to say Readman’s performance surprises me in the most positive way, as he’s perfectly capable of bringing a remeniscence to quite a few of the singers that have graced Malmsteen and Rainbow albums…on top of his remeniscence to David Coverdale (Whitesnake, you know). Then, bassist and long-time friend Max Sinner was the perfect member to join. Drummer Mel Gaynor is somewhat of the weirdo in the whole, as although he’s played with Gary Moore and Brian May, most will know him for being a member of Simple Minds. However, his performance for Voodoo Circle is just what’s needed! Next up, Alex needed a specialist at the Hammond B3 organ to bring in that typical sound of the ‘7às and ‘80s, and whom better than much sought-after studio session musician Jimmy Kresic (whom was working on a new project with the likes of Steve Lukather and Jordan Rudess around the time this album was released). Thanks to his connections in the music business, Alex even got some notable people to come do a guest performance on the album: Dougie White (a former frontman of both Rainbow ànd Malmsteen) brings duet vocals on “Dream Of Eden”, keyboardist Richard Andersson (of Time Requiem & Space Odyssey) brings a solo to the same song. Other guest performances come from Concerto Moon guitarist Norifumi Shima, and bassist Rudi Sarzo (of Ozzy, Dio, and Whitesnake repute), but I ain’t sure at which of the 11 possible instances on the album these two participate! You can find samples to three songs (incidently, they’re the three first) off the album at myspace.com/voodoocircleband. If that don’t convince you of the top class this band is in, I don’t know what will…short of a gig performed in your livingroom! I’m not sure if, when and where the band might be seen to grace a stage, but I’m sure it would be a great event which woould stay in the minds of those witnissing it for a long time! Of course, Alex might consider taking along an additional rhythm guitarist, as it would be had for him to reproduce the guitar sound of some of the songs on his own! Nevermind! At the end of the day we still have to make our decision about this album, and since after having listened to the album so many times I stíll cannot find any failures (except perhaps for the organ not always coming through so clearly), I can only give a perfect rating…meaning we’ve got another addition to our “Best Albums Of 2008”-list! Darn…before I forget: there’s supposed to be a limited edition digipak version of this album, featuring bonus tracks in the form of additional track “Wings Of Sorrow” and a version of “Dream Of Eden” without White! Of course, the Japanese version (which was already issued on Nov. 22) of the album will contain a bonus track as well…this time the additional song “Said And Done”. 98/100 Tony. |