Review VOICE “Holy or Damned”

It was in 1988 that Voice took their first steps into the world of rock and metal. The five-piece from Saxony followed their musical heart and although it took a while, the band debuted in 1996 with “Prediction”. Three more albums followed before the band went on a hiatus for a few years. Voice raised their voices again in 2017 with ‘The Storm’, an album that is now followed by ‘Holy or Damned’.

The latest release contains eleven songs, some of which are bonus tracks. Voice play a mixture of melodic metal and hard rock that resonates with songs like the catchy “In This World”. What hits your eardrums is music rooted in the 80’s, with a dense and solid sonic framework. The five-piece use a standard toolkit when it comes to the scope of the songs on the album. “Tears in the Dust” is the obligatory ballad, while songs like “The Silence of Prescience” offer pounding melodic metal. The same goes for the dramatic “Privateer”. An obvious journey back to the 80s is offered by “Only Grey Remain”.

Although the songs are quite long, the album is pretty straightforward. The vocals follow the standard paths of melodic metal and even though the band tries to add some variations to their songs and sound, the result isn’t bursting with innovation. It’s more the passion that drives the record, resulting in songs like “Dream On” that might be of interest to some melodic metal fans.