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VOODUS - emanating sparks DigiCD | ||||||||||||||
| Since their
formation in 2015, the ascent of Sweden's VOODUS has been steady yet
assured. After a decade under the moniker Jormundgang, the band sought
a fresh outlook with the new nom de plume VOODUS and began sharpening
their knives. And carved from these blades emerged the 2015 EP
NightQueen, subsequently followed by the Serpent Seducer Saviour 10"
in 2017. However, it was VOODUS breakout debut album - appropriately
titled Into the Wild, released in 2018 by SHADOW - where the band
showed the full fathom of their powers. Starkly melodic yet crypt-pure
black metal, the hour-long Into the Wild was at once authentically
vintage and refreshingly modern, their songcraft now honed to its
fiercest and most finessed essence. Somehow, they eclipsed that feat
with the two-song Open the Otherness EP two years later. More than
"just" an EP, these two tracks were EPIC, totaling 23 minutes of
obsidian grandeur. Now, where does the winding path lead them? VOODUS'
second album, Emanating Sparks. Comparatively a more concise record at
45 minutes, the seven-song Emanating Sparks certainly shows no
slowdown in their creativity nor conservative thinking on the band's
part: majestically immediate, effervescently melodic, executed with
poise and power, VOODUS here present an album custom-made for the
stage and yet one not without its charms for personal contemplation.
The occult aura is stronger than ever, it must be said, as their
melodicism weaves through the soul with stirring effect, vapor trails
of beyond-the-shade menace opening one's third eye with ease and elan.
Many weapons are still at VOODUS' disposal - the riffing is stalwart
when surging or stomping, the rhythms move mountains at any speed, and
guitarist T. Fongelius' vocals command the hordes with their clear
enunciation - and more than ever, they utilize them with especial
emphasis on dynamics. Emanating Sparks is aggressive to be sure and
undeniably a BLACK METAL record, but it's one imbued with a subtle
sensitivity (or just call it "feel"), a deftness of approach that
elevates it above extremity for its own sake or just another tired
genre exercise. Or put another way, VOODUS have fully entered the
realm of plausibly professional black metal classicism; Emanating
Sparks is thus truly titled... VOODUS continue to speak the noble
language of black metal, but broaden its dialect with reverence and
intelligence. Open thy ears and receive their Emanating Sparks!
Tracks:
Genres: Black Metal GPSR Information: |  | |||||||||||||
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