Review: Vojd ”The Outer Ocean”

Vojd – ”The Outer Ocean” (High Roller Records) 

Formed from the ashes of the Thin Lizzy inspired Black Trip, we have Sweden’s Vojd. And with this new line up and new band name, we have a slight tweaking of the sound. There are still a few Lizzy moments to be found, mainly in the lead guitar work, but overall, this is a much more original sounding band.

There’s also a much more melodic take on the backing vocals, which back up vocalist, Joseph Tholl, rather than swamp him… so they’ve definitely got the balance right. Some bands water everything down with too many melodies, but this harks back to the late 70’s / early 80’s and I don’t think they could have done a better job if they tried.

And I will admit to being at a slight loss as to where to place this, exactly.  Which I guess is a good thing as they’ve really dug themselves a sound of their own, even if they have a few borrowed elements. The opening riff from “Vindicated Blues” sounds very much like UFO, possibly Rock Bottom, and the solo reminds me of Molly Hatchet and while the title track doesn’t sound like Pink Floyd, it does drift along in that mellow Floyd (Dave Gilmour) groove.

The album was recorded over the space of about a year, which might explain the differing styles that creep in as the album progresses, including the very ZZ Top riff of “On An Endless Day of Everlasting Winter”, which is the soundtrack to my life right now, thanks to the snow that surrounds my village. And maybe the varying styles need to be reined in a little… which could be remedied by the band going back to recording the album in one single go.

Overall though, there is a very little to complain about. The albums first few tracks are definitely the strongest, alongside “On The Run”, and maybe that’s the direction that will bring them the most success. But if you’re a fan of 70s and 80s Hard Rock / Metal, then you should feel right at home with this album.

Impressive!

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