Review VOODOO KISS “Feel the Curse”

Which came first? Voodoo Kiss or the Summer Breeze Festival? What may sound like a weird question has a very real background as Voodoo Kiss is the band of Summer Breeze founder Achim Ostertag. In order to give his band a chance to play live, he decided to create his own festival. That was the beginning of Summer Breeze and while the festival grew to be one of the biggest ones in Germany and Europe, Voodoo Kiss slowly faded away.

It was rather a very long break than a split, as Ostertag reactivated the band in 2022 and the self-titled debut album was released in the same year. 24 months later the sophomore album hits the shelves and the guys pick up where they left off with the debut. Melodic ( power ) metal is what Voodoo Kiss offer on their second album “Feel the Curse” and like on “Voodoo Kiss” the vocals are shared between Gerrit Mutz (Sacred Steel) and Steffi Stuber (Mission In Black).

The songs on “Feel the Curse” are like a nostalgic trip to the times when traditional heavy metal had its heyday. It’s less the level of innovation that creates the thrill. It is more the passion for the music that developed in the early 80s with some Iron Maiden influences that can be heard in songs like “Spellbound By Her Eyes”. The following “Dr. Evil” is a song you should check out as well. It is the acoustic guitar that starts the track and you might think that this would be the ballad of the album. This assumption is wrong as “Dr. Evil” offers an evil twist. It is a fusion of the sound of NWoBHM and a punk attitude that characterizes this smashing moment on the album.

“Lords of Darkness” represents the soulful and very melodic aspect of “Feel the Curse”. With Steffi Huber on vocals, the song adds to the versatility of the album. With so many songs mentioned, it is also worth reflecting on the title track.

It is the first song that roars out of the speakers after you drop the needle. Voodoo Kiss decided to start the album in a fierce way. Rough and with dominant guitars the song belongs to the heavier ones of the album before “Angel Demon” adds a darker touch to the overall. The first time I heard this song I was reminded of bands like Stormwitch during the “Beauty and the Beast” days.

Voodoo Kiss’ latest effort is a well done metal record. The band obviously enjoys what they are doing and as this is the main motivator we get a very authentic album. It’s very entertaining to listen to these songs and if you can’t get enough, the band will be playing at this year’s Summer Breeze Festival, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. It will also be the release show for the new album.
So don’t miss it.