Metal Underground.com

Harkening back to the classic rock sounds of the 1970s and '80s, Voodoo Circle's "Broken Heart Syndrome" sounds like nothing so much as a long-lost Whitesnake or Deep Purple album that fell behind your dresser for 30 years. With thick, muscular riffs, backed up by Hammond B-3 organ and synth flourishes, and Coverdale-style wails, it's an exceedingly (and sometimes excessively) accurate take on bell-bottom-era metal.

Given the fact that the supergroup's bassist, Mat Sinner (of Sinner and Primal Fear fame) isn't exactly far removed from that era himself, it shouldn't come as much of a shock that the band has such an innate feel for '70s sounds. Still, I'm willing to bet that the Hendrix-meets-Blackmore-and-Lord moments that populate "Blind Man" will take many people's breath away.

Guitarist Alex Beyrodt (of Silent Force) is certainly capable of Yngwie-style shred, and gives it up on tracks like "No Solution Blues" and "This Could Be Paradise," with solos that race up and down the fretboard. More interesting, though, are the bluesier moments in which Beyrodt slows it down a little bit and adds some soul to the flash ("Broken Heart Syndrome" and especially the Southern-fried "Don't Take My Heart").

Pink Cream 69 vocalist David Readman may have gained fame in the 1990s, but he's definitely got the '70s in his soul, with tracks like "Don't Take My Heart" and "I'm In Heaven," which have the big choruses and soulful vocals that were the trademark of the time. He's definitely the star of the show here.

On the downside, the album is a little overlong, with "This Could Be Paradise" and "Devil's Daughter" feeling especially like filler. And, though the band certainly gets the late-'70s vibe right, it must be pointed out that there's absolutely nothing new here. If you don't like Deep Purple, Whitesnake and bands of that ilk, you're definitely going to find nothing to pique your interest here.

Fans of classic rock are going to find plenty of good juju on Voodoo Circle's "Broken Heart Syndrome." With muscular riffs, intriguing keyboard fills and vocals that soar all the way to the nosebleed seats, this is metal from way back in the day.