I do not know whether the parallelism is correct, or capable of making the listening sensation of Vôdûn accurate, but I felt like hearing something innovative and different, like when Faith No More released “The Real Thing”, with vision and perspective.
Vôdûn is a British trio playing afro alternative stoner metal. They have a modern sound with sharp heavy riffs (Lindsay Hamilton The Marassa – guitars), incredibly energetic drumming (Zel Kaute / Ogoun-drums) and particularly soulful – dynamic vocals (Chantal Brown / Oya vocals). The afro-tribal element is extremely intense and so inevitably there is a lot of cowbell. If you do not bear it, then let it go. Personally, I did not bother, since the riffs and the general feeling are so great.
“Ascend” is full of contradictions as far as the musical part and the vocals of Chantal Brown are concerned. In their majority, they are intense and dynamic but can also transform into earthy and sensitive, whenever a change is required within the composition. They honor Africa, with mystical / spiritual references and a massive dose of feminism, but most importantly Vôdûn build a genre of their own (combining 70’s and 90’s sounds) without worrying about fashions and reactions. This in your face / do not give a fuck energy is what characterizes the album.
“Spirits Past” is representative, “Started From” super heavy and “New Doom” almost progressive (awesome from the middle and after …). “Ogun’s Fight” has a special jazzy part with horns, while I personally loved the most experimental moment on an already experimental album, the just two-minutes long “For Your Kin”.
Voodoo Metal? Oh yes!
