Voltage Arc – Fire

Out of Switzerland comes Voltage Arc, a name that simply screams party-metal. And that’s what I was expecting from the promo-pack: classic party-metal with a solid sprinkle of silliness and comedy. Switzerland is Coroner and Celtic Frost, Swiss metal is boundary-breaking, dark and cold as ice, but that is not Voltage Arc. The impression I get from these guys is Steel Panther meets Airbourne. The pictures of the band clad in leather jackets with nothing underneath, confirms this message. And I’m not sure how I feel about that going into my first listening experience.

This is Voltage Arc’s debut. It’s produced by American Justin Weis and is clearly a serious shot at making a mark, but they are seemingly starting this endeavour with a very clear goal: being a testosterone laden, comedy-adjacent, “fun”, party-band. That sets certain rules for me. I’m not expecting ground-breaking compositions or eclectic influences for a band like this. I’m expecting perfect execution, top-notch production and solid song-placement. I’m about to have my brain scooped out with a melon baller. In the good way.

FIRE starts with a fairly pointless “Intro” track that lasts about half a minute. This is basically a short little guitar solo/noodling. It doesn’t really set the mood, it doesn’t really relate to anything that comes later, but hey, it’s a nice little guitar thing… Then we have the first real songs on this album; “Hard Way” and “Hangman”.

“Hard Way” opens with a cool and catchy riff which drips of attitude and fun, but also contains somewhat of a rough edge. It’s a fairly plain party anthem with an unnecessary tempo-kill halfway through. Mildly fist-pounding, and all-in-all a decent start. Hangman is less memorable, hyper catchy and almost carries that Eurovision-pop quality. That’s not a good thing. Hangman lets me down on the first listen because it feels like an unearned party. It’s silly, poppy and bouncy. It’s not a song played by leather clad Swiss headbangers. Right? Three tracks in and I’m confused, wondering how commercial these guys are planning to go. Then comes the defining moment.

Track 4, “That Night”, is one of the most glorious experiences I’ve had as a listener of heavy music and it’s worth a mild dissection. This song is dripping in cheesy pop and can’t help but remind me of Ghost, but it’s Ghost-inspired Pop Metal done in the best way possible. The production is immaculate, the atmosphere is thoroughly camp and the melody is simple, mind-numbingly catchy, and almost makes me emotional. It’s a victorious cocktail, to say the least. This is the weird, unexpected shot of adrenaline that this album so sorely needed. It even helps “explain” the poppy weirdness of the first two real songs, and they become better on a re-listen as a result. It’s so shamelessly poppy and commercial that it transcends both labels and becomes a defining moment for Voltage Arc.

“That Night” is an impressive song, to say the least. And it’s followed by songs that keep veering left. There truly is no knowing where Voltage Arc is going within this plethora of songs – 14 to be exact – but they never veer into expected territory. Track 6, “Fire”, introduces what I would call a mild circus element to the sound, whilst track 10, “Way Back Home”, is a feet-stomping anthem ala Airbourne or Hardcore Superstar. I expected this debut to evoke associations to the aforementioned party-metallers (including Steel Panther), but I did not expect to be served rhythm sections that feel like they could have been taken off of Paul Simon’s Graceland.

I’m left having to admit that I’ve just been on one of the more surprising metal-journey’s I’ve ever had. I got the great production, solid playing and good song-placement that I was expecting, but I was also served a solid helping of creativity, innovation and experimenting. Being able to pull off that sort of subversion of expectations within some sort of Party Metal package, is truly impressive.

FIRE is not perfect. I still maintain the three opening tracks could use some work, and there’s certain tracks I skip when I get back to them, but therein lies the key: I actually get back to this album. I listen to it on walks and when I’m cooking. I never do that with music I review, no matter how good it is. This is the exception to prove the rule, that’s how fun, surprising, solid and playful this album is. I can’t say more, you simply have to try it. If metal with a hefty side of pop is not your thing; go to the next one. If it is: here’s your next favourite band. You’re welcome.

www.voltagearc.com