Vokonis - Odyssey | Review

Vokonis are a Swedish trio from the city of Borås, comprised of Simon Ohlsson – Guitar/Vocals, Jonte Johansson – Bass/Vocals and new(ish) drummer/percussionist Peter Ottosson. Per Wiberg of Opeth, Spiritual Beggars, Kamchatka also makes an appearance on keyboards.

Odyssey is the follow-up to 2019's acclaimed third album “Grasping Time” with artwork by Kyrre Bjurling (artist behind Vokonis' previous works Grasping Time and the reissue of Olde One Ascending). The cover alludes to the naturalistic yet mystical world evoked by the works of Roger Dean (Yes, Asia, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep) and thus betrays the band's intentions to delve further into prog-rock waters. This will doubtlessly whet the appetite of fans of the proggier wing of sludge/doom metal.

Odyssey starts with its shortest track 'Rebellion' at a mere 3:17 minutes with a crunching heavy metal riff that reminds one of the likes of power metal revivalists Grand Magus, there is definitely a NWOBHM vibe present here. There are also some pleasant melodic Alice In Chains' Layne Staley vocal lines courtesy of Jonte that contrast nicely with Simon's more aggressive approach. A bracing and effective opener that sets the listener up for the album to come. Second track 'Odyssey' brings to mind Oakland psych prog outfit Mondo Drag with the heavy Hammond Organ flourishes, making this a potential psych classic. 'Blackened Wings' takes us back to the conciseness of the opening track and takes a sludgier approach ala Elder who they coincidentally shared a stage with back in the pre-covid era. 'Azure' follows a similar pattern in terms of track length and style but also adds some gorgeous soloing from Simon towards the end that melds effortlessly and brilliantly with Per's Ken Hensley/Jon Lord influenced keyboard playing, all of which make for a thrilling conclusion.

'Hollow Waters' tips its hat to Lateralus/10,000 Days era Tool with strong anguished vocals reminiscent of Maynard James Keenan. The track winds back on the heavy sludge somewhat and embarks on a psychedelic journey into mysterious worlds as intonated by the aforementioned album cover. 'Odyssey' and 'Hollow Waters' may have been longer pieces but they were veritable warm-ups for album closer 'Through the Depths' which is a mammoth 12:48 minutes, an extraordinary piece that further demonstrates the band's ongoing musical maturity. For the first quarter we are met with the band's trademark brand of progressive sludge/doom before being greeted with some beautiful melancholy Blues Jamming which one would have heard from the likes of the late, great Gary Moore. This continues right through to the album's conclusion and proves true the old adage saving the best till last. Without doubt the finest track by a country mile and a perfectly epic way to conclude the album.

Going further down the progressive rabbit-hole like countrymen Opeth could have proved a risky move, thankfully it has paid off and Odyssey is brilliantly balanced between more immediate tracks and longer challenging fare that will appeal to both fans of doom/sludge and vintage prog. (8/10)

Reza Mills

Band info: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialVokonis
Label info: http://thesignrecords.com