TIME OF AWAKENING

This is the second album from French band Weend'ô, who have already been accepted by the prog fraternity as one of their own, with Alan Reed guesting on this. Fronted by keyboard player Laetitia Chaudemanche, she has obviously been influenced by Anneke Van Giersbergen (I know most people think of her with The Gathering, but I have always loved her work with Devin Townsend), and isn't afraid to provide melodic piano as well as other keyboards when the time is right. She can be playing sweetly on her own, or she can be fronting a very heavy progressive rock band, it all depends on what the music needs. The press release says that they switch between Pink Floyd and Tool, and I can certainly see where that comment is coming from.

The band see the album as a call to humanity, to keep faith and hope despite the appalling events currently afflicting the world . The band believe we are entering a new period in our evolution, and we are experiencing frequencies that are creating a new paradigm even though the events of 2017 - like devastating earthquakes - have been disastrous for individual communities. This following quote is from French writer, René Barjavel, from 1984, and as it sums up the lyrical approach to the album, Laetitia wanted to share it in the booklet. "Living is not enough, we must be alive. That is to say knowing that every minute we are at the heart of a miracle and being in contact, in harmony with it. That's difficult, but once we succeed in becoming aware of it, all our efforts will be rewarded a hundred- fold. Most of the time we see but we don't look at, we hear but we don't listen to. Things jostle us instead of being handled by us. We should dispose of them for our happiness, and they own us for our fear. Yet each and every one of us is at the Center of everything, in the midst of the entire universe. Each and every one of us has the doors the creator (or the nature, as you like) gave to enter it. But we forget to open them. For my part, I keep on being amazed by the phenomenon of life."

Like the lyrics, this is a grown-up and mature album, and one that I have gained more from each and every time I have played it. The guitars are sharp when they need to be, so jagged that one wonders if music can draw blood, the bass rumbles through, competing with the drums to lay the foundation, while Laetitia either provides keyboard harmonies and symphonic backdrops or takes the lead herself, while also providing vocals that cut through the music beneath. This is a band we are going to hear a great deal more about