Voodoo Bloo is a four piece alternative rock band full of young, energetic guys from New Zealand. The group consists of lead singer and guitarist Rory McDonald, who is also the main songwriter, weird noise king, Daniel Maslen is on the guitar, he provides that grit. You can’t forget about the heartbeat of the band, drummer Jackson kidd….Voodoo Bloo has also added a new member Oli Cass on the bass, he’s also the bands video director and photographer. Voodoo Bloo has just released their 12-track sophomore album “The Blessed Ghost”.
“The Blessed Ghost” centres around themes of self-discovery, love interests and confronting your own demons all via a fictional character represented throughout the album acting as a vice for the band’s own personal experiences. When you start the album with the self titled track, “The Blessed Ghost (Younger then)”, you hear this sort of monologue with a very churchy sounding organ in the background. What makes it intriguing are the words being said, it makes you want to focus on the mentality of the speaker.
As you go onto the next song, you start to see more of a darker side from Voodoo Bloo. The deep vocals mixed with the ambient yet present guitar makes you feel like your floating through your own nightmare. The mesh of everyone in “Pursuit” makes you excited for what else they have in store.
When you’re halfway through the album, you get to “Skin” and you hear the heaviness of the bass from Oli. The dark and airy song gets you hooked then the vocals of Rory is what is going to reel you in, on top of a drum beat that allows everyone to shine.
“The Blessed Ghost” is Voodoo Bloo’s way of showing their many talents, the amount of variety in the album is enough to keep everyone happy. “Ritalin” is them producing a slower side and diving more into their emotions, it’s the kind of song you put on repeat when your sadness is at an all time peak and you have some anger that you also want to release.
We all get older, that’s the purpose of life…it seems that you see Voodoo Bloo grow up throughout the album. “The Blessed Ghost (Older now)”, is a song worthy of a slow clap or maybe raise your lighter in the air if you’re lucky enough to see them live. It’s a tearjerker and makes you look deep into your life and do a mental health check.
As the album ends, you’ll be left feeling relieved, “The Blessed Ghost” allows you to release a range of emotions without feeling judged. The album is therapeutic in a sense, you’ll regret missing out on it.
Written by Jaye Maverick
Photo credits: Vincent Gabriel
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