It would be more than fair to say that London three piece Vodun made a bit of a splash with their debut album Possession and subsequent live performances. They are a riot of colour and exuberance with a hugely energetic sound and concept, powerful distinctive vocals, great Sabbath gone stoner riffs and frankly superb drumming. I was taken enough with their debut to actually buy the vinyl, which is not a common occurrence too. All good yeah? The weird thing was it dropped off rotation rather quickly and I have spent ages, as I watch them gather more and more press attention, trying to figure out why. I mean what is there not to like about this superbly talented, overwhelmingly positive band?

Good enough reason to make a grab for this review I thought.

For those under the rock over there, Vodun consist of Ogoun, vocalist par excellence and something of a force of nature; The Marassa dexterous guitarist flicking incredibly easily between thundering riffs and jazzy breaks and finally Oya, the drummer with probably as many arms as Kali who somehow steers this polyrhythmic band through afro, jazz and metal beats with not just precision but a remarkable touch and feeling. Wrap them up in a deeply spiritual concept of ancestors and empowerment, with an internal energy that seems to power forth from some feminine wellspring and a sound that is some kinda afro jazzy stoner soul psyche. Seriously not since the legendary Mothers Finest have I heard a band so fully embrace heavy music whilst keeping hold of the funk and soul.

Yeah as individuals they are pretty special and as a band pretty damned unique.

So Ascend has a just about perfect production, capturing the almost manic vibrancy of the band, their energy and eclectic musical styles. It manages to keep the driving riffs heavy and the soulful breaks clear. ‘Elusive Freedom’ is a perfect example with shifting rhythms, straightforward passage of stoner style heaviness and afro soul closing. The vocals have been mixed just a little lower this time around, which is a good move for me as their power sometimes overwhelmed the songs on the debut but here they are still front and centre but allow much more of the incredibly varied music to shine…and those gorgeous drums (sorry, excuse me while I gush over the just brilliant drumming once more.. and you can tell that Ogoun and Oya have played together in previous bands for a number of years by the way they gel here.)

After numerous plays and replays I think I know why their first album faded a little quickly for me. Hang on, it’s not as bad as it sounds.. It’s certainly not anything to do with lack of depth or anything. Far from it. The thing about Vodun is that their energy is so full on, so in your face and immediate that you can get fooled into thinking that the music should be as straightforward and simple as the huge impact the sound makes. You expect to go away humming (or more likely singing at the the top of your crappy voice failing to hit the notes Ogoun does!) and… Well that just ain’t gonna happen with Vodun.

The complex and almost continually shifting rhythms, the change from riff to dancing note picking and chopping, the vocals from a soulful croon to an almost breathless burst or rising cry make for actually difficult listening. That’s not a criticism, just needs to be born in mind as the impact of Vodun is so immediate that you’re expecting hooks and refrains but they just don’t write songs like that. Tracks like the utterly superb ‘Rituals’ need concentration to sway your way through the barrage of shuffling rhythmic shifts. Live I’m guessing you just throw yourself into the waves of energy but on record this is music you seriously need to work on how to listen to.

It is worth it though, worth every bit of effort.

I mean they don’t overwhelm you in time here; the album is a perfect length. Any longer and it could lose you but at this length it allows you the time to explore the depths of the sound without fatigue creeping in.

Vodun are a superbly matched unit. This is a fine improvement on their debut; more thought out and a thoughtful refining of their sound without huge changes. Unique sounding, musically exceptionally adept, lyrically positive and even inspirational, barely containing their life affirming energy; there is nothing not to love here.

Oh, did I mention I love the drumming?

(9/10 Gizmo)

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