VOODOOSHOCK

The second full-length album from VOODOOSHOCK, "Marie's Sister's Garden" offers the discerning doom fan an ocean of melancholy and expected cues from the likes of CANDLEMASS and, in certain places, TROUBLE. At almost 58 minutes, the uninitiated might think this one would be a grueling endurance test. Not so, as the group changes tempos with some regularity and churns out some arresting riffs and well-placed leads. If it were not for Uwe Groebel's vocal issues, "Marie's Sister's Garden" would be a robust release, but more on that later.

The injection of melody, even on the fringes, makes a big difference on songs like the title track and the open/airy "Feeding Flames with Letters", the result a nice changeup from the traditional slow doom plods of "Funeral Farewell" and "Miserable Mercy". An emphasis on the act's bluesy sensibilities on "Warm Knives Cut Deeper" works exceedingly well. Quicker tempos on "I Need a Rest", which includes an earth shattering solo break (and even faster pace),and "Truth" deepens the album's impact.

It is Groebel's vocals that ultimately hurt the effort. One would expect an odd, clean vocal delivery on this kind of album. The problem is that "odd" in this context is not necessarily a good thing. In fairness, the front man conveys his sense of longing and pain convincingly in a few spots, yet his effort often sounds forced. To these ears, his style does more distracting than enhancing.

Hence, a 7.5 with effective vocals becomes a 6.5 without them. To be fair, those not already familiar with the band should still check out the tunes, if at all possible. As doom is about feeling, a subjective thing if there ever was one, it could very well be that I'm in the minority on this one. I'm not sold on the vocals, but maybe you will be. Here's to hoping your journey is a satisfying one.