When you consider the people involved, the most remarkable thing about ‘Anticipation for blood levelled in darkness’ is not how heavy it is, but the fact that it is not heavier! Indeed, the Voodoo Gods (comprising George Fisher, Seth Van De Loo, David Shankle, Hiro, Jean Baudin and Alex Von Poschinger) offer up a surprisingly varied sonic assault which, whilst never less than extreme, still deals in light and shade with the result that the overall record is a more engaging experience than yolu would get from a more one-dimensional death metal assault. Formed in 2001, Voodoo Gods is a supergroup with a rotating door policy and already the band has seen Mike Browning and Nergal pass through its ranks. With a single EP to their name thus far (“Shrunken head” – 2008), ‘Anticipation for blood levelled in darkness’ is the band’s debut album and it is a thrilling, expansive ride through the realms of death and thrash metal.
Opening with the short, eerie piece, ‘return of the rainbow serpent’, the album begins in earnest with ‘the termination of God’, a furious piece of blackened thrash that gives David Shankle plenty of opportunities to unleash his furious soloing over a rhythm laid down by Alex “Voodoo” Von Poschinger that seems to assault the listener from all sides if the album is played at sufficient volume. George Fisher, meanwhile, does what he does best, which is to unleash the vocals as if all the demons of hell are dancing on the end of his microphone. It is a confident, assured performance as you would expect from a group of professionals, but what really makes the song stand out are the deviations from the norm, the slow, subtle instrumental section and the changes in pace and tempo which mark the song out as something special. ‘The Astral dawn-devotion to the Great Nebula’ is a furious blast of putrid death metal with George’s inimitable vocals towering over it whilst ‘cetewayo’ opens to a fearsome groove that recalls Bolt Thrower and Kataklysm only to explode into a nasty burst of blackened thrash that is made all the more impressive by the stunning fret work deployed by David Shankle and Hiro, the sublime basswork of Jean Baudin and an unhinged middle section that is heavily inflected with eastern influences.
Next up is the awkwardly titled ‘endeavours of a syphilitic missionary and his death – dawn of the voodoo Ostinati’, a doomy piece of death metal that brings Greg Mackintosh’s mighty Vallenfyre to mind with its atmosphere of decay and its downbeat riffs leading the listener into a swirling miasma of misery. In contrast ‘Renaissance of retribution’ is a devastating assault on the senses that highlights the simple fact that when Voodoo Gods choose to play with fire they are more than capable of unleashing a hellish assault that will leave you breathless and broken. Even here, however, with the music at its most powerful, the band imbue their sound with plenty of traditional metal class thanks to David Shankle’s exquisite soloing ‘Wrath of the invisible children’ once again sees Jean playing bass with a skill and power that suggests secret pacts were made at Crossroads, whilst the song itself is a chunky, rhythmically awkward beast that once again highlights the fact that Voodoo Gods are playing primarily for their own dark satisfaction. It is a highlight of the album and a fiendishly complex and demanding piece of music. The final track, ‘article 246’, closes the album on a frantic note, the furious flurries of guitar rendered all the more potent by George’s indefatigable vocals. This makes the switch to tribal rhythms and subtle ambience all the more surprising, and yet the band manage to draw each disparate element together into a coherent whole that is as impressive as it is intricate. By finishing on such a high point and by emphasising quality firmly over quantity, the band adeptly leave the listener wanting more and there is no question that this short, brutal, remarkably varied release is set to become a genre classic.
‘Anticipation for blood levelled in darkness’ is clearly a labour of love for these fine musicians. In truth a supergroup such as this would attract attention however it sounded and the fact that the band have chosen no easy path with their adventurous, progressive take on thrash and death metal suggests that not a single person here is content to rest on their not inconsiderable laurels. The result is an album that consistently challenges and surprises the listener whilst still delivering the frenzied goods that one would expect form such high profile artists from the extreme world. There is no weak link to this album. From the intricate and imaginative song-writing to the thunderous production , Voodoo Gods have just delivered the death metal album of the year.
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