The sophomore release from Te Whanganui-A-Tara alt-rock act Voodoo Bloo, ‘The Blessed Ghost’, is a powerful album of self-discovery and realisation from a youth-turning adult band who have expertly mastered their own unique sound, via inspiration from a combination of alternative and progressive rock bands.
Released via Wellington independent label PlasticGroove, with recording and mixing credits going to Greg Haver and Scott Seabright, plus Ryan Smith for mastering, ‘The Blessed Ghost’ lives up to its name. The eerie yet powerful collection of music brings goosebumps to the listener’s ears should they immerse themselves into the album.
‘The Blessed Ghost’ is a distinct new chapter for Voodoo Bloo, pulling them into a new, more refined version of their old selves. Coalescing as a band around Sheffield-born vocalist Rory McDonald, each member brings something valuable to the table. Combining Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Disturbed’s David Draiman McDonald’s powerful, baritone voice covers an impressive range and has lots of character. His vocals are an essential part of tracks such as For Asterisk.
Guitarist Daniel Maslen’s blend of melodic verse lines and heavy, rhythmic choruses bringing different elements to the table is particularly evident in Pursuit, as the verse build-up leads to a powerful, driven chorus. Bassist Ollie Cass brings plenty of flexibility to their music, his thunderous bass sounds supporting the rest of the band or placed front and centre as in the intro to Skin. Jackson Kidd is the type of drummer who drums for the song, as best evidenced in the song Small. Kidd can be technical when it suits, but also keep the beat simple.
Coming in at just over 45 minutes, ‘The Blessed Ghost’ is a hefty listen and completely worth the time. Opening the album, The Blessed Ghost (Younger Then) is an apparently recorded phone message providing a solemn reflection on changing as you grow up, as one of the members narrates his existential thoughts on the eve of his 20th birthday. It’s a brave place to start.
The album’s penultimate track, The Blessed Ghost (Older Now), solidifies this album as a journey of self-discovery and making changes to improve your individual life. It has the hallmarks of a stadium rock tune befitting the band’s openly expressed influences from artists such as My Bloody Valentine, Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead. ‘The Blessed Ghost’ is a journey of kick-ass tunes with deeper meaning.
