Time Of Awakening – Part I (7:06), Time Of Awakening – Part II (5:05), Time Of Awakening – Part III (8:07), Angel Dust (8:20), Elea – Part I (7:07), Elea – Part II (3:23)
Weend’ô are a band hailing from France, whose music is described as a mix of Pink Floyd‘s ambiance and Tool‘s modern riffing. They are described as « exploring the depths of the human psyche: its qualities and faults, its fears and joy, its relationships… The lyrics are written from real experiences and through melodic progressive rock, the audience is invited to a journey from the inside. » Time Of Awakening is their third release, following their debut album You Need to Know Yourself, and their live acoustic album Fairytalacoustic.
Time Of Awakening – Part 1 begins the journey with a minimalistic, yet ensnaring sound with some beautiful vocal work by Laetitia. There are some interesting riffs, some nice leads and licks. From this track alone, it is easy to see the influences from both Pink Floyd and Tool.
Part 2 has a softer, more « light » beginning, with more use of synths and piano to build the scene. A very chilled and relaxed piece, with some lovely keyboard work.
The final part of the trilogy starts with an almost Opeth type acoustic passage before the full band enters with some proggy goodness. Complex riffing intertwines with the drums and bass to keep you waiting expectantly. A powerful slab of riffs and soaring vocals that grabs you and doesn’t let go until the second half, where it is replaced with atmospherics to let you breathe.
The second half of the album kicks off with Angel Dust. Another slower-paced, more laid back and almost bluesy track, with a bit of a feel to it similar to The Sound Of Muzack by Porcupine Tree. This builds up into quite a powerful track that sounds like a good mix between the aforementioned tree and Anathema.
Elea Part 1 helps showcase the skill of the band, with a beautifully written song that flits between relaxed and a bit melancholy, with more staccato riffing and more anthemic choruses.
Finally, we come to the end of the album with Elea Part 2. A short but sweet finale, this is more just a rolling build up with a vocal melody over the top to bring in the end.
A very good album, perfect for fans of classic prog like Pink Floyd and modern prog such as Anathema and Porcupine Tree. The songs are superbly crafted, and every bit of the album keeps you hooked and content.
Voilà donc une belle surprise! Un deuxième album pour ce groupe français qui arrive à maturité et qui passe d’un album auto produit avec un financement de ses fans à un groupe à suivre qui vient de signer avec SONICBOND et qui reçoit l’appui et l’aide d’Alan Reed. Leur sonorité reste dans la gamme des très bons groupes progressifs de France, enrichie par la voix puissante et prenante de LAETITIA qui chante depuis longtemps et qui a fait des études en Angleterre. On est campé définitivement dans le progressif mélodique moderne avec des passages symphoniques, des accents plus acérés métalliques et un bel album dédié au maintien de l’espoir dans l’humanité malgré les ratés mondiaux récents.
Les musiciens se connaissent bien et livrent la marchandise. J’ai adoré les arrangements, les passages de piano, les atmosphères mystérieuses et les rythmes soutenus. La structure musicale m’a fait penser à du Yes période FRAGILE pour sa basse expressive et sa balance clavier-guitare mais on retrouvera des passages ‘floydiens’ à la MEDDLE mais aussi des guitares musclés et un batteur remarquable. La composition et l’aspect symphonique m’a aussi rappelé le groupe cubain ANIMA MUNDI. En plus la voix de Laetitia est superbe et invite des comparaisons flatteuses avec THE GATHERING.
Dans le détail on a droit au début à une suite en trois temps de 20 minutes qui donne le ton et le titre de l’album. ‘Time of Awakening’ est une superbe ode progressive variée et complexe. Les passages instrumentaux sont longs et fascinants que ce soit la guitare juste et mouvante et TERENCE ou les synthés surprenants de LAETITIA ou la fondation irréprochable du tandem basse-batterie. La troisième partie est un opus classique qui vaut l’album à lui seul mais toute la suite est excellente. La première partie contient un solo de synthé époustouflant vers la fin et la deuxième un magnifique passage de piano rappelant les grands maîtres KEITH ou RICK. Pour le morceau qui suit, on a droit à un petit virage métal avec ‘Angel Dust’ moins concordant avec le reste de l’album à mon avis. Il vient en deux versions: l’original et radio et fait plus dans le métallique dans son concept mais quand même plaisant surtout dans sa version longue (la version courte est inutile selon moi et distrayante). Vient ensuite une autre suite en deux parties faisant 10 minutes et demi et qui offre un beau mélange de ‘Worldbeat’ et de ‘psychédélique’ et qui s’intitule ‘Elea’. La première partie contient un très beau solo de guitare en finale et la deuxième partie une belle progression avec des vocalises hommes et femmes et le rythme ‘floydien’ annoncé plus haut.
Vraiment un beau coup de coeur. Un album qui va attirer l’attention des aficionados prog et qui va se comparer aux très bons de la cuvée 2018. Tout est bien intégré, le message est clair, la voix féminine envoûtante et ressentie, la production excellente, la composition sublime. Définitivement du très bon prog moderne qui va plaire aux jeunes et aussi aux dinosaures dont je suis. Les musiciens sont très talentueux. Si vous aimez le prog symphonique et les groupes comme ANIMA MUNDI vous serez comblé. Pas loin d’un album essentiel. On attend déjà la suite. Ils méritent amplement nos encouragements.
http://www.itdjents.com/reviews-2/weendo-time-of-awakening/I’m all for unique band names, but Weend’ô (pronounced ‘Window’) take the cake. It’s even quite hard to Google. This fact shouldn’t discourage you from finding out more about this amazing band, as they’re offering something very special with their latest release, Time of Awakening.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
With only 6 tracks, I knew I was going to be in for a prog-tastic time. Both the title track and “Elea” are divided into multiple parts! ‘A good start,’ I’m thinking to myself as I pressed play and part one of “Time of Awakening” started up.
Once past the ambient intro and the light polyrhythmic drums, the amazing voice of Laetitia Chaudemanche enters. First thought from me? ‘Wow!’ She has an amazing tone with a slight Gaelic influence. The vocal is bright and fluffy, reminding me of Lee Douglas from Anathema. Okay, so this is going to be a light, atmospheric album with subtlety? Not quite. About halfway through “Time of Awakening, Part 1”, I was treated to a nice angular, fuzzy riff from Terence N’Guyen, complemented by some heavy bass and thundering drums. Now we’re cooking! Things continue to build over the remainder of this track, and before you know it, from out of nowhere, a huge sawtooth lead solo comes in. Unexpected, gritty and glorious.
The track then moves seamlessly into part two, morphing into something quite unexpected. Crystal clear piano fills the speakers and really interesting melodies and chords dominate. Something reminiscent of an ECM style jazz/classical influence appears, which is more refreshing than the typical symphonic rock-ballad style that we usually get from so many prog bands of late. The guitar is also subtle and textural, again akin to someone like Alan Holdsworth or Terje Rypdal rather than Petrucci, for example.
After this relaxing interlude, it gets avant garde, providing even more textural changes. Sub bass programming and guitar effects make for something modern and unsettling, but not overbearing. The acoustic guitar makes its first appearance at the start of part three, continuing the low key feeling, but then the song just explodes! Surprise! Tool–style rifforama and dense drums pour forth. To heighten the excitement, we get another unexpected moment. Gone are the light and graceful vocals as Chaudemanche powers over the band with an effect-laden performance, fitting perfectly with the heavy riffs. As if I couldn’t like the song any more, an awesome guitar solo kicks in, leaving lots of space for the bass to come thundering through in support (one of my favourite sounds in rock). The final part of this trilogy ends with some super fast drum fills from Nathanael Buis. Song complete. Drop the mic, leave the stage! Phew!
VOCAL SUPER POWERS
Every band needs a superhero, and in Weend’ô‘s case, it’s Laetitia Chaudemanche. From her biography on their website, she lists Anneke van Giersbergen as one of her primary influences, which is apparent as the album progresses. Don’t let this fool you into thinking that she’s just a clone. Chaudemanche stamps her own personality on this album, adjusting her style and vocal effects to the mood of the music. This adds tons of interest and unique high points on every track. I’ve done a scientific and accurate account* in the graph below to give you an idea of the sheer variety in her vocal performance:
*COUGH
From her super high range, mic effects, staccato phrasing, whispering and different languages, she never ceases to amaze and delight throughout. This gives the band a different feeling from most other groups of this type and raises the bar significantly.
With the 3 part of the title track done, we are now into the only single song on the album; “Angel Dust”. This track gives us a taste of a more staccato vocal style, reminiscent of Bent Knee at times. The whispering is also a nice touch. There is also a ‘single edit’ version of this track, I assume to help people get a taste of Weend’ô’s style without committing to listening to the longer songs.
The album closes out with another multipart opus, “Elea”. Featuring more great riffs, awesome Steve Rothery-style melodic guitar solos, and as my graph points out, a blissful mix of the sweet vocal of Chaudemanche mixed with a dirty male vocal underneath. This is a sound palette that’s new to me and made me immediately sit up and take notice. Part Two winds up the album nicely with reverb soaked crescendos and high voices until the fade.
ENOUGH TO LEAVE YOU WANTING
After 45 minutes, it’s all over, and I immediately wanted to find out more about the band and see if there was an extensive back catalog so I could listen to more and get my fix (there are two previous albums)!
From the clear, punchy recording, great modern riffs and of course, that vocal performance, this is an album that deserves to be recognized as something new and exciting in this genre. I look forward to seeing how Weend’ô develop in the future (plus I’ll keep banging on about them to my mates!).
Score: 8.5/10
Notable Tracks: “Time of Awakening (Part 1)”; “Angel Dust”
FFO: Anathema, Bent Knee, Ayreon, Vuur, Enchant, Marillion, Anneke van Giersbergen
« …From the clear, punchy recording, great modern riffs and of course, that vocal performance, this is an album that deserves to be recognized as something new and exciting in this genre. I look forward to seeing how Weend’ô develop in the future (plus I’ll keep banging on about them to my mates!)…. »
« …From the clear, punchy recording, great modern riffs and of course, that vocal performance, this is an album that deserves to be recognized as something new and exciting in this genre. I look forward to seeing how Weend’ô develop in the future (plus I’ll keep banging on about them to my mates!)…. »
Progressive Rock quartet WEENDO formed in Agen, France in 2008. They are guided by the philosophy “without music, life would be a mistake” (Nietzsche). They are presenting their newly released album here titled “Time of Awakening,” which contains six tracks.
The first movement of the title track is seven minutes long. It opens with a dancing electronic beat and melancholic tendencies. Laetitia’s vocals are soft and pensive. There is a steady building of Proggy electric guitars and some nimble meter negotiation. The keyboard solo is fantastic as well; creating a moody soundscape seemingly from another dimension. The second movement begins with a haunting piano melody, some toms and bass guitar notes. The vocals are very emotive and it seems to pull you along like riding a cloud in a dream. Indeed, the piano notes can be both gentle and ominous at the same time. It’s all about the atmosphere here; beautifully crafted. The final minute is ambient, segueing into the third and final movement; an eight minute opus. Skies darken and thunder is rumbling in the distance. The guitars and bass hold down the dark sound while held vocal notes give me somewhat of a CIRCUS MAXIMUS vibe.
“Angel Dust” is the only stand-alone song on the album here without movements. Thwaking, walking bass notes provide the opening rhythm. Nathanaël marches on the snare drum gently, while they paint an ever-changing landscape of renewal and hope, while the cold of winter still clings to the coming of spring. The final song, “Elea,” has two movements. The first is a seven minute affair that opens softly and cautiously. The vocals are almost chants, with the melody repeated and steadily gaining sonority. Acoustic guitars provide the base while thoughtful lead guitar breaks shine above, with vocals that vary from gentle to more forceful. The textures sometimes remind me of the confident passion yet restraint that a band like RUSH plays with. The second and final part of the movement is a short three minutes, ending the album as it started, with a dancing electronic sound. It sort of closes the loop from the journey that the album takes you on, as you crest the green hill and take in the satisfaction that comes with the feeling of knowing that you are on the way home.
The strength in the album lies in the compositional structure and texture. Nothing is sacrificed in favor of sophisticated, intelligent songwriting, beautiful melancholy, and haunting, pretty melodies. The band are fanciful musicians, but they don’t let this outweigh the synergy of the various instrumental parts in each track. Vocalist Laetitia has one of those voices that you just won’t easily forget. She sings from inside of her soul, extracting the elements that make her unique as a person into every sung note, like the famed Irish singer ENYA. This is an outstanding mosaic of Progressive music that every fan of the genre should hear.
Special thanks to Bruno Consolo, our acoustic bassist who played very well our set during our UK tour !! Thanks to him for his opened mind , his presence and his kindness !! this was really an unforgettable tour !!! 🙂
un grand merci à Bruno Consolo, bassiste acoustique de notre UK tour pour sa présence , son ouverture d’esprit, sa bienveillance !! on s’en rappellera de ce tour, je vous le dis !! 🙂
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