Take a look outside your window: shit’s getting serious. We’re living through a particularly bleak paradigm, with ominous political shifts occurring around the globe. It’s time for a rallying war-cry, to tap into the power of our ancestors, to learn the wisdoms taught by history and its recurring patterns. It’s time to acknowledge the power of women, to burn with the fire of a banshee wail, to taste the energy of revolution and feel the inspiration of generations of resistance.
And that’s where Ascend, the second album by insurrectionary heavy rock trio Vodun, comes in.
Ten slabs of ground-flattening, groove-inflected rock power, driven by the afro-inspired dervish drums of Zel Kaute (interpreting the spirits of Ogoun), the roaring, fierce chromium guitars of Linz Hamilton (The Marassa), and fronted by the fire-breathing howl of frontwoman Chantal Brown (Oya), delivering you the truth of generations with a drive and focus that can’t be matched.
Spirits Past is our first taste of Ascend, due for release September 7th via New Heavy Sounds, the first new music from Vodun since the release of their critically-acclaimed debut album Possession in 2016.
‘Spirits Past is a war cry,’ explains frontwoman Chantal. ‘Recognising the similarities in previous global events within our own current state of affairs, allows us to gain an understanding of what our ancestors did to battle such prejudices. This feeling of deja vu pushes us to draw upon the strength and tenacity of all peoples, their lives and spirits, who have already laid the foundations for the advancement of equality within every civilisation.’
The video, directed by Noomi Spook, tells the story of a woman imprisoned inside a cryogenic chamber, sedated and forced to endure torturous experiments, as her captors attempt to discover the source of her powers. She awakes long enough to send an SOS message to the younger generation, but the rescue attempt fails. She then summons the mighty spirit of the past, symbolising her ancestry and lineage – unleashing her great power of wisdom and salvation upon her captors, which ultimately frees them from their prison of prejudice and ignorance.
It’s a story and a message that is matched perfectly with Chantal’s soaring, defiant vocals, Zel’s marching cowbell propelled drums and Linz’s grinding metallic guitar as the song meets it’s high-speed, thrashed-out dramatic conclusion.
‘The first song we wrote for the album was Spirits Past says Chantal, #and that’s tackling our current climate. You have to ask yourself: haven’t we been here before? Are we going backwards? It’s easy to slip into the abyss of negativity, destruction and despair. But look at history: we need to keep fighting, and listen to people who’ve already fought this fight, and realise the war isn’t over.’
The song was produced by BRIT Award winning Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood, Ghost, Turbowolf), who brought his unparalleled heavy & clean balance to the bands sound, and several interesting harmony ideas, which was very much welcomed by Chantal.
Vodun are very much back. Stay tuned for further war cries.