Voidstrider, from Austin, Texas, is a three-piece rock band composed of two brothers – Clint Fischer on guitar, vocals, and R.J. Fischer on drums with Whitney Fischer (R.J.’s wife), on bass and vocals. Their sound harkens back to ‘70's and early ‘80's hard rock and metal – so if you’re into that get ready, you’re in for a treat. Growing up in Colorado, Clint and R.J. planted their musical roots in punk rock and hardcore and the previous bands they were in made headway in Denver’s underground DIY scene. In 2004, the brothers packed up and made the trek to Austin, where they quickly established themselves as contenders in the hardcore scene.
Along with their punk rock influences, Clint and R.J. had already been developing their own unique sound with the creation of Voidstrider. Their blend of punk, classic metal and hard rock can be heard throughout their self-titled debut Voidstrider. Whitney joined the band in 2012 and since then Voidstrider has shared the stage with bands like Diamond Head, The Skull, Medusa, Josefus, Pentagram, Mothership and Ruby the Hatchet. Other influences include a legendary mix of groups who paved the way for rock bands to carry the torch of rock and roll into the 21st century: Sir Lord Baltimore, Scorpions, Glass Harp, Highway Robbery, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, UFO, Emerald, Captain Beyond, Thin Lizzy, Heart and The Resurrection Band. “Picture of Hope” explodes out of the gate, bringing forth influential sounds of Dio, Priest, early ‘70s KISS (think “100,000 years”) within a pre-synth Rush concept/storytelling style. I loved how the drum rhythm, bass and guitar all were in synch with each other, playing note for note. Such a fantastic opening that I had to play it again, and again. “Star Strider” was absolutely nuts. I would say their arrangements of fast and slow tempos, chord change-ups in an art rock/metal rock fashion is like early Rush, but this song also has the sinister, Manchester metal sound of Sabbath and underground punk. Dang, and this is a three-piece band? “Eyes Alive” features a more Judas Priest/Motörhead punk metal style. The three members just don’t let up one bit throughout this number. “Metamorphosis” begins with a sweet drum intro and classic metal guitar riffs. This one has that moody, dark feeling like a Dio number, but I could also hear Zeppelin’s “Achilles Last Stand” and perhaps one of Deep Purple’s similar tunes. I thought this song had the best of everything. If you were hoping for a slower tune, well, you might have it with “Hunter’s Moon” – but just a bit. This one features a repeating and rather catchy guitar riff, a low marching bass line and more stellar drumming from R.J. and what one Bandcamp reviewer called “a Neil Peart Solo project.” But hey, I’m not dissing Peart nor the band here – heck no. What stood out for me here was Voidstrider’s quick tempo changes and off beats, all the while keeping time with each other. Not always an easy thing to do when you’re playing fast. With only a mere five songs on their debut EP, I felt like I’d just been in a cage match or broke out in a cold sweat watching one. Overall, Voidstrider captivated my attention from beginning to end and weren’t about to let go. Their style and sound is big, bold and raw and for me that’s the mark of a true heavy hitting, no nonsense rock band.
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