CRYSTAL BALL – Déjà-Voodoo

With upwards of twenty years in the business, Swiss rockers Crystal Ball are set to release their ninth album, Déjà-Voodoo. It carries the same Power Rock groove as last year’s LP LifeRider, and starts off in a similar fashion by relying mostly on the song titles for every hook. Things change course midway through, however, and the band shines with an outstanding ballad entitled “Home Again”, followed by the complex and riff-driven track “To Freedom And Progress”. The album keeps relative pace from thereon out, and finishes cleanly with another fine ballad.

Loyal fans will enjoy Crystal Ball’s familiar sound, and it deviates enough from Arena Rock clichés to attract new fans. But, the record does suffer a bit from an identity crisis as those deviations tend to conflict. The Symphonic vocals refuse to give up the spotlight as edgy guitars try to showcase their talent. Aside from this, and perhaps playing it a little too safe, Déjà-Voodoo still has a lot to keep you satisfied, including plenty of replay value.