Wooden Stake - At the Stroke of Midnight
It doesn’t seem that long ago I was reviewing the Crypticus/Scaremaker split, bedazzled by the latter’s versatile frontwoman, wondering what would happen if the faster arrangements were shed and the Doomier aspects solely focused on. I pretty much have my answer in the form of Wooden Stake. Fronted by the lovely Jill Nocera with a little help from Scaremaker bandmate Wayne Sarantopoulos, this project is indeed a witching Doom affair that allows the sinister siren to spread her demon wings and more effectively show off her range. At the Stroke of Midnight is an odds and ends compilation following hot on the heels of 2010 debut Dungeon Prayers & Tombyard Serenades, featuring one new song, the Black Caped Carnivore and Invoke the Ageless Witch EPs, the Vampire Plague Exorcism demo, plus the splits with Druid Lord and Blizaro. Production qualities vary from okay to bad, yet a super-polished sound would probably only rob the band of its b-horror charm anyway. New cut “Night of the Banshee” easily has the best sound and is arguably the best song. Jill’s vocals are pure Stevie Nicks, which works perfectly with backing growls and a morbid Doom aesthetic if you ask me. The demo/7-inch material is hit or miss at best. While the vocals are consistently impressive, some of the structures seem a bit thrown together and often incoherent. A few of these riffs are just plain clunkers (“Curse of the Funeral Mistress,” “Death Reads the Black Tarot,” “Forbidden Oath”) and, at an unrealistic 71 minutes, this begins to feel like an impromptu jam session existing only to serve as a vehicle for the voice after a while. Nocera’s talents ensure an enjoyable ride throughout —just listen to that Wanda Jackson swagger on the Cathedralesque bounce of “The Legend of Blood Castle”— but the lack of cohesion unfortunately results in a trip taken less frequently. With better songwriting, this singer could cast her spell on any Doomster within earshot.
(0) Comment(s)
Page 1 of 1 pages