Voodoo Johnson Black Powder Mother Loader Review
Voodoo Johnson is my favorite band to come out in the past decade. The band combines my influences, heavy grunge, hard rock with soaring vocals and meaningful lyrics. They, like Ron Jeremy, are the total package. If the band didn't live a full ocean away from me, I'd have already played center cum catcher in the circle pit for the band. We all know I am willing to be the center cum catcher (proof here Safe for work, not my dignity).
The band released 10,000 Horses that was miles above any record released in that year and since. I felt it was the best debut record since Appetite for Destruction, which is a heavy statement and I fully stand behind it. Review here I am not going to rehash the past, but it needs to be said that the band was working on all levels, until shortly after the band released their first album, their vocalist Kev Bayliss departed the group. He was a shining star in a rising band. I don't have the full story behind the departure, but vow to buy a case of cheap beer and sit down with the Voodoo Johnson and find out one day.
Enter Nik Taylor-Stoakes. I have always said not to trust a man with three names, but it's hyphenated so I think we can let him pass. Nik is the replacement for Kev (apparently VJ can't keep track of lead singers with names longer than three letters). Black Powder Mother Loader is the first new music we hear from the band with Nik at the vocal helm. It has taken me a long time to process exactly what is going on here and I FINALLY figured it out.
The EP isn't as solid as 10,000 Horses. In some ways it is a step backward on production and the some songs are more of a retread or B-sides from 10,000 Horses than new material.
The band released 10,000 Horses that was miles above any record released in that year and since. I felt it was the best debut record since Appetite for Destruction, which is a heavy statement and I fully stand behind it. Review here I am not going to rehash the past, but it needs to be said that the band was working on all levels, until shortly after the band released their first album, their vocalist Kev Bayliss departed the group. He was a shining star in a rising band. I don't have the full story behind the departure, but vow to buy a case of cheap beer and sit down with the Voodoo Johnson and find out one day.
Enter Nik Taylor-Stoakes. I have always said not to trust a man with three names, but it's hyphenated so I think we can let him pass. Nik is the replacement for Kev (apparently VJ can't keep track of lead singers with names longer than three letters). Black Powder Mother Loader is the first new music we hear from the band with Nik at the vocal helm. It has taken me a long time to process exactly what is going on here and I FINALLY figured it out.
The EP isn't as solid as 10,000 Horses. In some ways it is a step backward on production and the some songs are more of a retread or B-sides from 10,000 Horses than new material.
Production issues can be heard on the softer ballad The Garden. It sounds like NIk is singing in a big bathroom. Nik is, however, singing his ass off in that bathroom. His chops as a powerful, yet refined vocalist shine never brighter than they do on The Garden.
Another song Black Skies Mist, a raucous tune in the same vein we are accustom to with Voodoo Johnson, fast ripping solos, high vocal ranges, and enigmatic lyrics, lose their value due to the production. The vocals are placed right up in the right channel and the great musicianship is tuned down in the left channel. The song still carries an overall kick, but just not what I was expecting.
My first listen through, I hated it, until I realized I kept comparing it to 10,000 Horses. That comparison is and was unfair to the band. This is a different band, essentially, than the one that wrote and recorded 10,000 Horses. Ultimately, I figured the band was trying to get something out to the public to hear and show that they were carrying on. Black Powder Mother Loader isn't the follow up to 10,000 Horses, but more of a "Hey how are you doing, have you met Nik yet?" kind of record.
Once I came to grips with that I realized the album really did showcase the talents of Nik more than the band. The band hadn't changed; they were still Voodoo Johnson. It was Nik that needed to be introduced. That is why the vocals were up front and in your face, that's why the softer ballad that allowed Nik to punch your yambag. It was as if a dominatrix finally stood off my testicles and allowed me to shoot cum like a geyser after hours of edging. It all made sense.
I believe Black Powder Mother Loader is a strong indication of Nik's prowess and it does what an EP should, keep me precumming until another Voodoo Johnson full release where I can fully release.
Four wet pussies out of five - solid effort and really does the job of introducing Nik to the Voodoo Johnson community.
You can buy Black Powder Mother Loader on Voodoo Johnson's official site. While you are there, you should also buy a shirt, a sticker, and 10,000 Horses.
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