Lead guitarist Emir Erkal explains in an interview (collegenews.com) that his Turkish and therefore some Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences unconsciously return in his work. This immediately becomes concrete in ‘Lady In The Wall’ and ‘Edge Of Within’. He also adds that their music progressed over the years making their third and newest album sound more modern and industrial with catchy melodies. An amusing fact: the song ‘No Hell Like Home’ was written backwards. Starting from the title the music was written and later on the lyrics were added.
This 10-track album is one of my favorites so far this year. ‘City of Sixes’ was the first single released together with a very entertaining music video. I have often caught myself singing its chorus or whistling its tune without even listening to the album. I agree with Erkal when he says that the melodies are catchy. This is not only the fact for ‘City Of Sixes’ but also for songs like ‘Burn More Bridges’ and ‘No Hell Like Home’, which somehow reminds me of Blackstone Cherry.
My personal feeling about their latest release is that it is a high-quality piece of metal magic. It is an album that varies in style. What does that mean? Well, VTT has a wide reach. The different tracks, in my opinion, cannot all be placed in the same basket. ‘Night Wolf’ and ‘Under The Knife’, songs that are a bit heavier, differ from, for example, ‘Die To The Din Of The Drums’, which is more Danko Jones-like. Does that mean that these mentioned titles do not have any resemblances? No, I will not go that far. VTT always succeeds in producing its own unique sound.
Because I do not want to withhold any information from you, I have to add one final thing. There is also a cover on the album, a Rammstein one. Not many bands can pull off something like that. VTT gets away with it. Although ‘Pussy’ is not my favorite song, I enjoy the Voodoo Terror Tribe version. Honestly, I have to conclude that I would not have added that track to the album. Voodoo Terror Tribe is enough on its own. Erkal and his companions do not need to be a cover band. They deserve to be covered.
Michiel