Voodoo Circle: Broken Heart Syndrome

An affectionate, effective parody... or is it?

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

With a cry of ‘baby, baby, baby’ and lyrics that beseech: ‘Don’t break my heart again’, just about the only trick missed by No Solution Blues, this album’s marauding opener, is a Coverdale-inspired bark of: ‘Ow, oww, owww!’

Teaming guitarist Alex Beyrodt with the vocals of David Readman, Broken Heart Syndrome is Voodoo Circle’s second album. As you’ll have gathered it’s something of a retro-fest, romping through territory previously conquered by Rainbow, Deep Purple, Dio and especially Whitesnake.

At moments like Devil’s Daughter, which dares to begin with the line: ‘Ever since I was a drifter’, things verge close to the comedic, though what Voodoo Circle lack in originality they certainly make up for in the energy stakes, and there are some excellent songs here, including a distant cousin of Knocking At Your Back Door that’s been cunningly re-titled as King Of Your Dreams.

Dave Ling
News/Lives Editor, Classic Rock

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.