Sparzanza - In Voodoo Veritas

Published February 11 2009

*=Staff's pick	The Blind Will Lead The Blind* Gone* Black Gemini My World Of Sin Robota Methadream On The Other Side Red Dead Revolver* Bloodline The End Of Days Self Medication The Poison*

Genre	Heavy Metal/Stoner	Fredrik Weileby	Vocals
Tracks	12	Calle Johannesson	Guitar
Runningtime	54 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Kabuki Records	Johan Carlsson	Bass
Release	25 February 2009	Anders Åberg	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboard
Similar artists	Mustasch

This is actually the fourth effort from the Swedes in Sparzanza, and their former album Banisher Of The Light swept me away when it was released, and it then actually took me quite a while to figure out that it wasn't their debut, as I initially thought. Biggest news surrounding the band since last time is that they have lost one of their guitarists to Mustasch, and it is perhaps no surprise that Mustasch reached out towards him since you could make tons of comparisons the bands between. However, I suppose it would be correct to credit David Johannesson for half of the guitars on this album as I believe he was sticking around long enough for the album to be finished.

They start up the album with the up-tempo song The Blind Will Lead The Blind which opens it all in a grand manner. Catchy, easy going and straightforward while remaining quite powerful. In general, these are words that can be used to describe Sparzanza altogether rather fittingly and even if they make very sure that there is a healthy dose of aggression in their music it never tends to feel that way. It stays quite melodic rather than aggressive as it is perfectly balanced.

The first song that really sticks to me is Gone with its powerful phrasing or perhaps rather the distinct pronunciation of the words by vocalist Fredrik Weileby in this groove based stomping paced track. Fredrik has a powerful voice that is to be reckoned with, although it is perhaps not so rich on character but nevertheless it comes out as skilled with a clean yet raw sound, and not least convincingly.

In my opinion, the songs are in general weaker on In Voodoo Veritas compared with Banisher Of The Light, although they do not differ or stray from their sound. Still it is pretty direct metal that doesn't need a lot of listening to take in, and the rhythm section is solid to say the least. Yet Red Dead Revolver turned out to be a track that grew on me with its hard and heavy groove and while being delivered with determination, its layers unfolded after some time.

However, Sparzanza slightly try to approach new directions, for instance with Robota, this song kind of reminds of Rammstein with its raw edge and sound that is static and mechanic. The song Methadream, that is the first single of the album, also has traces of the above even though it is in general a classic Sparzanza sounding track, if I may use the expression.

Sparzanza deliver metal with balls, although In Voodoo Veritas appears to be more streamlined and more easily accessible than what I would have preferred even though they maintain a raw and heavy edge. I further sense that the album looses its grip on me towards the end. Even though it remains catchy and captivating, the songs tend to become rather anonymous after a while and leaves you untouched after the sounds echoed out.

I would not say that any songs fall out of frame though, it is just that they don't reach all the way, apart from My World Of Sin that does not measure up at all. This calm and soothing ballad that is heading towards the emotional side does not come to my liking as it feels like a standard commercial ballad in the vein of Takida, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Nickelback, or all of the above, and that is surely not my cup of tea.

I might have been sounding negative, but perhaps that is because of my high expectations. It is really a damn good album. Not as good as Banisher Of The Light, but damn well nearly. Even though the songs are slightly weaker, the album is better produced, and even though it is more easily accessible it has a lot of clever touches with the guitars considering hooks, lines, leads and such. I don't know how the guitars have been shared between Calle and David, but this album is in general an example of a damn good job done with the guitars.

See also review of: Banisher Of The Light

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
8	7	8	6	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Thomas