By Monk
They say you should never a judge a book by its cover, but one glance at both their name and the cover artwork for this self-titled debut EP tells you all you need to know about what to expect: classic NWoBHM riffage, front and central. And that is exactly what you get. In fact, the only surprise is that, despite the name suggesting a Teutonic origin, they in fact hail from the leafy suburbs of London… But then, that’s a more appropriate geographic location, given what lurks within the grooves of this rather tasty little offering.
After a slightly misleading, but thankfully brief, electronica intro, opener ‘C.O.D’ kicks in with a Tygers Of Pan Tang style riff, which quickly develops into a sub-Helloween/Maiden guitar harmonization (deftly delivered despite the fact they have only one guitarist), topped off by some pretty neat Bruce-meets-Rob style vocals. The comparison with British metal’s two greatest vocalists continues on second single ‘One Life’, with the vocals a mix between the high end of the former and the grit of the latter.
‘The Game’ continues very much down the Maiden route, but here I start to get problems, especially in crediting the appropriate musicians, as neither their social media nor the press release gives any details as to who is in the band… anyway, no matter who they are, they are all impressive musicians. The rhythm section is tighter than Boris Johnson’s bum checks at PMQs, the guitars bounce in and around each other with charismatic aplomb and accuracy and the singer has a great range, which he exploits to the full, knowing when to hit the high notes and when to hold back, the latter offering better effect than needlessly stretching in inappropriate places.
This is a decent debut. It brings nothing new to the genre: but, as we’ve said a gazillion times before, no one really does, and no one really will. What it does is deliver what exactly it says on the label: a well-charged dose of high voltage rock ‘n’ roll that keeps you entertained for its duration.
- ‘Voltstorm’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
Voltstorm play the following dates with Kardinal X:
- Saturday 9 April – Peterborough, Met Lounge
- Sunday 10 April – Cambridge, Portland Arms
- Friday 15 April – Oxford, The Bullingdon
- Saturday 23 April – Chester, The Live Rooms
- Friday 6 May – Manchester, Rebellion
They also support Angel Nation at Nambucca on Friday 13 May.
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