Collision course of gothic metal and traditional heavy metal - A review of Voodoma's Gotland

Voodoma is a gothic metal band from Düsseldorf that has been active for nearly two decades but that has been unfairly overlooked by large parts of both the gothic and the metal scene in Germany. Gotland is the group's seventh studio album and features ten songs for a total running time of thirty-eight minutes.

The first elements that stand out positively are the atmospheric cover artwork and the well-crafted booklet. Up next, the record starts on a very strong note with album highlight ''Shine'' that kicks off with mysterious female chants and mellow keyboard sounds before electronic sounds give the song a more contemporary touch. Up next, rhythmic drums, low bass guitar sounds and simple but efficient riffs set in and harmonize very well with the electronic keyboard sounds. The male lead vocals find the perfect balance between atmosphere and melody. This song proves that the band has a talent for writing atmospheric, conceptual and epic tunes. Sadly, the band didn't focus on these obvious strengths since the other tunes are shorter and simpler.

On the other side, you have the record's low point with ''Ghostlight''. The track attempts to open with atmospheric chants but they sound so much off key that it almost hurts. The transition to a heavy metal song with gothic atmosphere is much too sudden. The restrained vocals are kept rather low and fail to explore their entire potential. The poor production further harms this song since the guitar play is lacking oomph.

Most songs are situated somewhere between these two extremes with more positive than negative exceptions. This record should appeal to fans of gothic metal as well as to traditional metal fans. The band shines in its more atmospheric, conceptual and epic moments and should focus more on these strengths on future releases. Let's note that the band sounds even better on stage and you should certainly attend its concerts if you appreciate what you are listening to here.

Final rating: 75%