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Have you ever popped in an album hoping to hear it kick ass but been let down by what came out of the speakers? That’s exactly what happened when I pushed play on Marie’s Sister’s Garden by Voodooshock. I suspected that this album might be bad simply based on the band’s name, but I attempted to put aside my apprehensions and give them a chance.

I was promised “soulful vocals” and “an emotionally charged journey rooted in Sabbath tradition.” What I got was watered down stoner rock with vocals that tend towards irritating. This is a band that tries to stretch three mediocre mid to slow tempo songs into a full album. Sure it was nice to hear some singing over top of blues-based Sabbath rock, but there were quite a few points where the vocals were completely off-key. At first I thought that it might be possible that these parts were done for dramatic effect, which would have been interesting. Then I heard the vocals go off in another track and was convinced that this was not done on purpose. I also feel the need to mention that the bass guitar sounds like it’s out of tune on certain spots as well. The extreme low notes seem to warble and fluctuate in the mix.

Overall Voodooshock sound like they really want to be Trouble but they just fall drastically short of their goal. I wish that there were some positive things that I can say here, but I just can’t.

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Reviewer: Dave Warren Added: October 26th 2007