VOLTERA - The Birth of the End of the World

Emerging almost 5 years ago from Australia's self-titled entertainment capital, this alternative industrial quartet exploded into the local music scene with their first Exorsister EP in early 2006 before touring on the West Coast leg of the US Warped Tour that very same year.

Now with the release of Voltera's debut full length record, 'The Birth of the End of the World', the growth and experience acquired by this band over the last few years of solid touring, has finally flowed into the band's music and the result is a studio release which has the ability to rival any record by most established acts right around the world.

The album opens with the explosively upbeat first track 'Do What Your Daddy Say' which is an unexpected bombardment of the senses. Voltera front woman Jess utilizes her vocal range from the outset of the record with clean and intriguing verses before growling her way through some over the top, heavy choruses which any metal vocalist would be proud of.

From 'Do What Your Daddy Say' right through to the end of the record with the closing track 'Captain', 'The Birth of the End of the World' can be best described as the sound track to a strange kind of demented circus. The album is more than just a rock and roll record; it's a horror story of the mind.

The superstitious eleventh track, appropriately entitled '11:11' runs for exactly 11 minutes and 11 seconds and features everything from a slowly picked intro, to a disturbingly heavy mid section and a 4 minute long outro packed full of distorted orchestral overlays, with a general feel of chaos and destruction present for the entire song.

'Knees' brings about the middle of the album which is filled with deceptive verses and breakdowns, all of which set the tone for a classic heavy industrial track, yet the originality of the choruses help this song keep a wide birth from any other industrial song previously heard from Voltera.

Written as a concept album depicting life, starting from birth and ultimately climaxing in death, 'The Birth of the End of the World' incorporates such a diverse range of genres, with everything from hard rock, industrial and alternative gothic rock all being evident throughout a majority of the record. Tracks such as 'Death Of Innocence' and 'Machiavellian' take you to an upbeat world of unique guitar work and drag you into a parallel universe of twisted vocals and disturbing imagery.

There is a definite heavy side to Voltera's live performances and this aspect of the quartet's varying style is more than evident throughout 'The Birth of the End of the World', specifically when being tormented by tracks such as 'Exorsister', 'Perpetual Motion' and 'Black Sheep', all of which have a darker and more sinister feel to them then the rest of the album.

With this debut full length record by a band which is quickly becoming a powerhouse in Australian alternative music, we witness a dawning of a new age and a maturity flow into the music which is rarely evident in past releases of this genre in our country.

Album: The Birth of the End of the World
Year: 2010
Label: Green Distribution

Track Listing:
1. Do What Your Daddy Say
2. Death Of Innocence
3. It Beats For You
4. Pyramids Of Mexico
5. Black Sheep
6. Knees
7. Perpetual Motion
8. Exorsister
9. Machiavellian
10. Psychopathia Sexualis
11. 11:11
12. Rocking Horse
13. Captain