WOODEN STAKE - A Feast of Virgin Souls

I admit, I was nervous when I heard that Wooden Stake was going through some line-up changes after the release of their 2012 compilation CD “At the Stroke of Midnight” which featured the songs from their demo “Vampire Plague Exorcism”, 7” songs, and an exclusive track “Night of the Banshee” which opens the album. After a few years of waiting, the wait has paid off.

On March 13^th, 2015 Wooden Stake returned with their second full-length studio album “A Feast of Virgin Souls”. 10 catchy and heavy songs that tell a story throughout about two female vampires stealing virgin blood from the character Alzbeta in a village in which she has reign over. Once Alzbeta hears of this, she summons demons to possess her but loses in the battle with the two lead females who be-head her, hang her from an inverted cross and then set her aflame. I love that the story is a continuation of the last song on the debut album. That song which is “Bleeding Coffin” continues with “Rise from the Bleeding Coffin”. Vanessa’s lyrics are brilliant and genius to say the least. They tell a story in an engaging way and everything rhymes perfectly. The lyrics range from dark and brutal to serene and beautiful.

The last two songs aren’t part of the story, but are just as amazing. Doc Holocausto penned the lyrics for “1140 Rue Royale” which is a song about a true New Orleans monsterous woman Madame LaLaurie who was a serial killer and torturer of slaves. The closing song “Curse of the Cauldron Countess” is about a vengeful witch coming back in her cauldron to kill the people who killed her. Solid lyrics make a solid album. Now on to the solid music.

Willie Wardlaw has made a great addition to the band and serves up endless riffs reminiscent of King Diamond, Bathory, Candlemass, and of course a little Black Sabbath, but there’s definitely an originality to his writing style. His solos are memorable, how I like solos to be, and the melodic parts really put me in mind of some Swedish death metal. Maybe there’s some influence there? The songs are tight and the production value is top notch making it dynamic and powerful. Vanessa’s bass guitar has never sounded better, and dare I say her vocals have never sounded better. She has the ability to drop into a low growl from a high-pitched scream like very few can do. Her clean vocals are haunting, sultry, and moody and when she pulls off perfect vocal harmonies through the verse and switches to demonic screams for the chorus, you know you’ve entered the realm that could only be…WOODEN STAKE!

I don’t prefer old or new material from the band. I love it all. I would venture to say that this album was a little more crafted than the past catalog from the band but this is not a complaint or insult, it just simply means that with a new person there are changes that you can tell happened within the songwriting process. I do miss a little bit of the more down-tuned sound and raw feel that made the band what it was but I think this is a fresh start for the band and I can't wait to hear what they have in store next.

I spoke with Vanessa recently and asked if she could disclose any current news on the band and she said she would keep me in the loop but there is definitely something going on in the Karnstein Castle Studios. I hope the wait won’t be as long for the next Wooden Stake album.

You can stream the full album for free here at their official bandcamp page as well as download for $5, or purchase the physical copy of course...
https://woodenstake.bandcamp.com/

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