Voodou

The Blessing of Curses

Invisible

In the drab wasteland of what's considered "industrial" these days, there are few bright spots that gleam in the mire. Voodou's The Blessing of Curses is a rare gem in the industrial-electronic strata, and you don't even have to dig that far to reach it.

The original Blessing was self-released in June 2000. Almost two years to the month, Voodou has re-released their debut, however this time on Invisible Records and this time produced by Martin Atkins (who also lent his considerable talents to the arrangements, edits, and programming.) Having cut their teeth on the Marilyn Manson tribute Anonymous Messiah and opening for the likes of Godhead, Gravity Kills, and Pigface, Voodou has evolved from their original three-piece outfit of Chad Wilder on guitars and bass, Michelle Walters on vocals and keyboards, and David Flick handling the programming, synth work, and sampling, to a five-piece unit that now includes bassist Billy Miller and drummer Ben Buchanan, with additional guitar help from Jeff Winfrey.

Yes, the most impressive thing about Voodou is vocalist Michelle Walters, who actually seems to be interested in singing, not shrieking like a tortured cat in heat like other frontwomen of the genre. Her seductive voice is sweeping and majestic, purring evilly ala Annie Lennox or Shirley Manson on "Dogfight" and "Deep Light Blue" and sounding eerily like Siouxsie Sioux on "Silver And Gold." Her sultry vocals turn "The Heretic" into an industrial lullaby and sweep the listener up in the epic tide of "Trouble With the Fix."

While Ms. Walters' voice is stunning, the music behind her siren's cry is equally commanding and richly complex, deftly complementing the sheer power of Ms. Walters' vocal style. The guitars, bass, drums, and synthesizers weave together creating a dynamic soundscape of industrial and electronic music with a wonderful gothic flavor, instead of coagulating into a discordant wreck. All of the instruments are carefully balanced -- the guitars don't drown out the synthesizers, the drums don't overpower the bass, and Ms. Walters' vocals can be clearly heard, not drowned into the mix -- a credit to the engineers and mixers.

With its compelling sound, intricate song structure, and Ms. Walters at the helm, Voodou is a shining example of what can be done with industrial-electronic music.

Voodou

The Blessing of Curses

Invisible

Voodou: http://www.voodou.org

Bettie Lou Vegas


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		concert review Preaching to the Perverted Pigface, Meg Lee Chin, Chris Connelly, The Damage Manual, Gravity Kills, gODHEAD, and VooDou live at the Tremont Music Hall. I've put a spell on you ...I didn't know what to expect from them. They turned out to be a kick-ass opener to the night's concert...VooDou's stage presence was phenomenal.... How did they sound? Imagine if Switchblade Symphony and Ministry produced an offspring with infectious, lush vocals. Barbed-wire candy. By Hannah McLamb \| December 17, 2001 ...Chad & Michelle came up from North Carolina to work on VOODOU with Julian & myself - I liked their Notes tracks and LOVED them live - both of the two busses of lunaticks emptied at the Preaching show at the Tremont music hall to see what all of the fuss was about - effortlessly changing instruments and meshing all kinds of groovy influences - ANYWAY Chris C sang on a couple of VooDou tracks and Michelle sang some awesome backing vocals on a couple of Chris's tracks. ENERGY. One plus one equals ELEVEN. Martin Atkins Chicago March 2002 REVIEW: V/A - "Notes From Thee Real Underground" Voodou - Kill the World For You Siouxsie fans take note on Voodou! So similar to Siouxsie that it would not surprise me in the least if it really was her. Good, old-style darkwave with floaty keyboards and minimal composition. Not new - but very well done. Voodou - Nobody The old-skool goth flair is still heavily prevalent in Voodou's second contribution to this collection. This time a bit of other-worldly synths give the song an interesting taste. By Marcus Pan Demo Record Review from GEMM VOODOU "The Blessing of Curses" (demo) ...This debut features some stunning female vocals layered over strong industrial beats. This band crosses the boundaries of several genres, mixing strong doses of industrial, gothic, and coldwave into an amazing self released debut. 10 tracks of music, including a interesting cover of Ministry's "Every Day Is Halloween", and a live version of "Explosure" to finish it off... (GEMM-Dig Deeper For Your Music) VooDou release new material! Gothic industrial act VooDou has managed to obtain a record deal from Invisible Records. Their first release will be a new version of "The Blessing of Curses". The album will feature some new tracks. They have also added some new members, Billy Miller on bass and Ben Beucannon on live drums and percussion. Mattias Anderson (Moving Hands Music Magazine) VooDou "The Blessing of Curses" Finally the debut CD described as "Somewhere between Goth and Garbage" The album is ten tracks of songs pushing the boundries of dark progressive music. The album is Produced by Martin Atkins(Ministry,Pil,Damage Manual) and Engineered by Julian Beeston(Nitzer Ebb). The album also features guest vocals by none other than Chris Connely(Ministry, Revolting Cocks) Release date is July 23rd but you can pre-order it at the VooDou website: www.voodou.org (Armitage VI) Voodou The Blessing of Curses Invisible In the drab wasteland of what's considered "industrial" these days, there are few bright spots that gleam in the mire. Voodou's The Blessing of Curses is a rare gem in the industrial-electronic strata, and you don't even have to dig that far to reach it. The original Blessing was self-released in June 2000. Almost two years to the month, Voodou has re-released their debut, however this time on Invisible Records and this time produced by Martin Atkins (who also lent his considerable talents to the arrangements, edits, and programming.) Having cut their teeth on the Marilyn Manson tribute Anonymous Messiah and opening for the likes of Godhead, Gravity Kills, and Pigface, Voodou has evolved from their original three-piece outfit of Chad Wilder on guitars and bass, Michelle Walters on vocals and keyboards, and David Flick handling the programming, synth work, and sampling, to a five-piece unit that now includes bassist Billy Miller and drummer Ben Buchanan, with additional guitar help from Jeff Winfrey. Yes, the most impressive thing about Voodou is vocalist Michelle Walters, who actually seems to be interested in singing, not shrieking like a tortured cat in heat like other frontwomen of the genre. Her seductive voice is sweeping and majestic, purring evilly ala Annie Lennox or Shirley Manson on "Dogfight" and "Deep Light Blue" and sounding eerily like Siouxsie Sioux on "Silver And Gold." Her sultry vocals turn "The Heretic" into an industrial lullaby and sweep the listener up in the epic tide of "Trouble With the Fix." While Ms. Walters' voice is stunning, the music behind her siren's cry is equally commanding and richly complex, deftly complementing the sheer power of Ms. Walters' vocal style. The guitars, bass, drums, and synthesizers weave together creating a dynamic soundscape of industrial and electronic music with a wonderful gothic flavor, instead of coagulating into a discordant wreck. All of the instruments are carefully balanced -- the guitars don't drown out the synthesizers, the drums don't overpower the bass, and Ms. Walters' vocals can be clearly heard, not drowned into the mix -- a credit to the engineers and mixers. With its compelling sound, intricate song structure, and Ms. Walters at the helm, Voodou is a shining example of what can be done with industrial-electronic music. Voodou: http://www.voodou.org Bettie Lou Vegas



		VOODOU The Blessing Of Curses ~reviwed by Mick Mercer They'll do something incredible one of these days, but not right now. There is a fine band here waiting, for something but I sense they dont truly know just what it is yet that theyre really going to do, as this level has been achieved fairly swiftly. The good news is that they are already superb in so many ways. If you admire a powerful production and great arrangements that sees you tied to a grating above starving crocodiles, then wriggle now to For Thyne Enemy with its big, surging rhythms and quick, sharp vocals. Or shudder with distaste as the bleeping quicksand of Trouble With The Fix outrages by breaking clumsily into a big, gooey chorus. Cackle like hens on steroids at Doomsday where guitars like vengeful helicopter gunships shatter the dreamier teasing gaps. Then stop a while, and think. Its clear they have a high-octane delivery, but I fear the band are maybe being swamped by the production. None of this is terribly surprising when you think that both Marin Atkins (Pigface) and Julian Beeston (Nitzer Ebb) are involved. These men thrive on full throttle, imperious mania, and they manage to inject all the air pockets here with poisoned varnish. Im sure theyve pulled more out of the band than the band imagined they could achieve, but maybe they go too far? The vocals often drop down and smear themselves playfully over the songs, when really they require a little space. Just as too many of their songs end without emphasis, so they have songs that are so full they end up constipated. The vocal-heavy Fairwell By Twilight displays an ominous mood and flails on a while, with taut spoken declarations but The Heretic is far silkier, with oozing strings putting you at ease as a bulbous bass battles, refusing to let you off any hooks. Deep Light Blue takes ages to get anywhere, which isnt a good sign, and Silver & Gold is something of a non-event, which act as maddening wastes before the saucily commercial Nobody shakes off its karmic hangover and The Fallen exhibits almost infectious gaiety as they opt for dance mechanisms. I seriously advise you ignore my minor doubts and get this for Dogfight which is heaven, with its snotty fukkit. Embrace the crisp jagged clatter, and swagger to this mental rawkout that works compulsively. It is utterly brilliant, and quite easily the best thing Ive heard in months! You can see why people take them seriously. Although people have made comparisons to Siouxsie thats way off the mark. You have here an entirely modern hybrid of commercial rock sensibilities mixed in with the more peculiar Industrial production ethos, where some things are elevated but others diluted. While a major label would boost the vocals, to emphasis the star appeal of the singer (whereby hangs their easiest marketing technique) with independent labels you naturally have the full power thrown behind the music itself. In essence what you have here is a band who can do more than others from the commercial or credible sector. Think therefore of Whale (in overdrive), Curve or Republica, and imagine how those approaches could have been massively improved, because thats the potential of Voodou. Most people will say Garbage, but this is less pop sensibility, more Kylie Harvey Oswald. If you would like to post your review, reply via E-mail to woohou@37.com.