Voodoo Circle

A German power metal band, Alex Beyrodt's Voodoo Circle is unapologetically rooted in the 1970s and early-'80s bluesy heavy metal of Rainbow, Whitesnake, and Deep Purple. Founded by the Silent Force/Primal Fear guitarist, the band swaggered onto the European rock scene with a self-titled 2008 album that buoyed its vintage influences with 21st century production techniques. Voodoo Circle's incessant touring, combined with the support of German radio and music journalists, won them prime live slots across the continent, and 2011's Broken Heart Syndrome reached the German Top Ten. Despite lineup changes and shifts in the dynamic and textural elements of their sound, the band's modus operandi remained consistent on 2015's Whisky Fingers, 2018's Raised on Rock, and 2021's Locked & Loaded. Guitarist and songwriter Alex Beyrodt was already enjoying a successful career when he founded Voodoo Circle in 2007. He had created the globally renowned neo-classical prog metal outfit Silent Force in 1999, and had released three successful albums. Due to touring, they developed active fan bases in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. After touring in support of their fourth outing, 2007's charting Walk the Earth, Beyrodt underwent an artistic crisis and sought to rethink his approach to making music. He re-engaged with the unruly sonic gospel that originally inspired him in the music of the aforementioned bands and began writing songs according to that inspiration. He put Silent Force on hiatus and enlisted Silent Force/Sinner bassist and backing vocalist Mat Sinner, Pink Cream 69 vocalist David Readman (an Englishman), keyboardist Jimmy Kresic, and drummer Mel Gaynor to fill out the lineup. Billed as Alex Beyrodt's Voodoo Circle, they played a few shows and began recording late in the year. By the end of 2008, Beyrodt signed the band to AFM (Silent Force's label) without even presenting demos. They issued their self-titled debut album and won positive notice at radio and in the European rock press. They took to the road in 2009 for more than a year with new drummer Markus Kullmann, and played venues ranging from clubs and theaters to festival stages. In early 2011, the band re-entered the recording studio and emerged with Broken Heart Syndrome. The set's unapologetic weave of vintage sources, big production values, and hooky songwriting proved irresistible to German audiences and DJs, and the album reached the Top Ten. Their high profile resonated with European audiences, and Voodoo Circle hit the road, touring North and South America before returning to Europe for music festival season. The band subsequently toured Asia as well, playing to sold-out houses consistently. The group's sound contrasted distinctly with the new band Beyrodt and Sinner assembled, the speed metal sword and sorcery outfit Primal Fear. Issued in February 2013, More Than One Way Home marked the band's last record with Kresic. He left before the summer touring season began and was replaced by Sinner's old friend Alessandro Del Vecchio, a keyboardist, vocalist, and producer. The charting album offered an aural glimpse of Voodoo Circle sounding more like a good-time hard rock outfit than a power metal band, and their rave-up, light-saturated stage show reflected that perfectly. Interestingly, that same year, in addition to Voodoo Circle and Primal Fear, Beyrodt and Sinner also resurrected Silent Force -- sometimes all three bands even played on the same bill. Weary of touring, Kullmann left in 2014 and was replaced on the road by drummer Tim Husung. When the band re-entered the studio to cut 2015's Whisky Fingers, Italian drummer Francesco Jovino had replaced him. Issued by AFM in November, the set charted across Europe thanks to popularity at streaming. Restless, now that Voodoo Circle was only one of his bandmates' creative concerns, Readman left to pursue other projects at the conclusion of the 2016 tour; Del Vecchio subsequently departed in 2017. Beyrodt and Sinner, ever conscientious about the vintage elements in the band's sound, recruited Avantasia vocalist Herbie Langhans for 2018's Raised on Rock. Recorded in Germany, France, and Italy with studio keyboardist Corvin Bahn, the 11-song set drew rave reviews across the metal press, and charted at streaming. Its two singles, "Running Away from Love" and "Higher Love" both registered inside the Top 20 in Germany. The band hit the road immediately after release and worked the world's stages for more than a year. They finished just before the global COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. While writing in 2020, Beyrodt and Sinner announced that both Readman and Kullmann had returned to Voodoo Circle, reclaiming the original quartet format, and they spent the summer recording. In January 2021, they issued Locked & Loaded; it charted at radio in Europe and on streaming lists the world over.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo