Take a look outside your window: shitt'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. 10 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. ASCEND builds upon the foundations laid down by the London-based group's 2016 debut, Possession. 'On Possession, we'd just written our first bunch of songs as a band and wanted to make a record' says Chantal. 'We recorded our first album at leisure when all the songs were ready. We knew that we couldn't leave too much time for putting out a second album, so there was more pressure with album number two. Our new guitarist Linz (The Marassa) has definitely helped us out in terms of filling out our sonic attack and helped bring more of those stomping rock moments, blazing thrash sections & thicker riffs. Lyrically, I wanted to connect with what is happening in the world right now and highlight that sense of deja-vu and pay homage to the ancestry of resistance, as history seems to be repeating itself. Zel (Ogoun) spent hours crafting the drum parts and researching the different tribes and regions each beat comes from, and obsessively listening to Afrobeat records to pull out anything from a rhythm to a horn phrasing for inspiration (You've probably never heard more cowbell on a heavy rock record since Led Zeppelin). Everything was more thought out for this second album and meticulously crafted we even gave ourselves more time in the studio! 5 days rather than the 3 we had for Possession.' The music of ASCEND is more sophisticated than on Possession, the canvas broader, the details more vivid and varied. Their palette now embraces a healthy does of extra percussion, saxophone, and vocal arrangements that pair Chantal's behemoth holler with harmonies, chants and howls, a full-spectrum of sound that suits their polymorphous attack. The band also incorporated another lead voice on the song 'New Doom', which was kindly provided by Chris Georgidias from the band Turbowolf. Another theme of Ascend is that of femininity as strength, and the power of empathy, a concept played out clearest on 'Started From', an anthem celebrating warrior womanhood and preaching that softness is not a weakness displaying the killer blend of hard rock power and complex nuance that makes Vodun unique. And Ascend is, unabashedly, revolution music, its ten tracks a hurricane of mystic heaviness, spiritual soul and furious positivity, its colossal riffage & rhythms allied to inspirational lyrics and powerful melodies to deliver food for the soul and fire to inflame uprisings. SIDE 1
Release date:
November 23, 2018
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
-
Pro-Ject Phono Box DC Pre-Amp
Compact, high-performance phono preamplifier for both MM and MC cartridges, delivering a clean, detailed signal with minimal noise.
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
-
Vinyl Care - Top Picks
A selection of accesories to keep your turntable equipment & vinyl records in the best shape
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Robert Forster Strawberries
Tapete Records
July 4, 2025 -
Firstborne Lucky
M-Theory Audio
August 8, 2025 -
Nuovo Testamento Trouble
Flatspot Records
July 25, 2025 -
Jessie Murph Sex Hysteria
Columbia Records Group
July 18, 2025 -
R.J.F. Cleaning Out the Empty Administration Building
Dais
August 15, 2025 -
Gina Birch Trouble
Third Man Records
July 11, 2025 -
Jackson Wang MAGICMAN 2
88rising Music - "Worldwide"
July 18, 2025 -
Whiskey Myers Whomp Whack Thunder [2xLP]
Wiggy Thump Records
September 26, 2025 -
Pete Droge Fade Away Blue
Missing Piece Records
August 22, 2025 -
OneRepublic OneRepublic: The Collection
Mosley Music/Interscope
August 15, 2025 -
Alison Goldfrapp Flux (Yellow)
A.G. Records Ltd.
August 15, 2025 -
Myles Smith Minute A Moment
Rca Victor Europe
July 25, 2025 -
Panic Shack Panic Shack (Red)
Brace Yourself
July 18, 2025 -
CMAT EUro-Country [2xLP]
CMATBABY Limited
August 29, 2025