METAL TEMPLE : review of « Time of Awakening » (9/10)

http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/w_2/weendo-time-of.htm

Weendo – Time Of Awakening 

Weendo

Time Of Awakening

by Dave « That Metal Guy » Campbell at 09 March 2018, 6:42 AM

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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.

Songwriting: 9
Originality: 9
Memorability: 10
Production: 8

PROG ARCHIVES : Review of « Time of Awakening » (4/5)

http://www.progarchives.com/review.asp?id=1887694

TIME OF AWAKENING Weend’ô Heavy Prog 4.08 | 6 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

kev rowland Special Collaborator Crossover Prog Team

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 kev rowland | 4/5 | 2018-2-20

HIGHLANDS MAGAZINE : chronique Time of Awakening (4.5/5)

http://highlands.fanzine.free.fr/acceuil.html

Comme LAZULI ou Franck CARDUCCI, j’ai découvert WEEND’O, originaire du sud ouest de la France grâce au Prog’Sud. J’ai ainsi pu écouter quelques extraits de leur premier album YOU NEED TO KNOW YOURSELF avant de les voir. J’avais bien accroché mais c’est surtout leur remarquable performance lors du festival qui m’a scotché. J’ai ainsi acheté
l’album la même soirée. Sur les cinq musiciens présents sur l’album, ils ne sont plus que quatre lors du concert, le second guitariste étant parti. Malheureusement, la vie d’un groupe amateur n’est pas facile et sortir de nouvelles productions n’est pas chose aisée.
En 2013, le groupe a toutefois publié un DVD acoustique et onirique intitulé FAIRYTALACOUSTIC. Pour mener à bien leur projet de second opus, le groupe a fait appel comme
beaucoup au financement participatif qui s’est heureusement avéré suffisant. Arrive aujourd’hui cette nouvelle oeuvre, TIME OF AWAKENING, tant attendue par ceux qui avaient la chance de découvrir le groupe et de l’apprécier. En préambule, WEEND’O a pu monter une petite tournée passant par l’Angleterre et la France pour le promouvoir. Le
groupe n’a pas varié et se compose toujours de quatre membres.
Laetitia CHAUDEMANCHE au chant et aux claviers, Terence N’GUYEN aux guitares et programmation, Maxime RAMI à la basse et Nathanel BUIS à la batterie et à  la programmation. Un soin particulier a été apporté au design avec une belle pochette et un joli recto de livret. L’album comprend trois titres découpés en six plages au total pour une durée de trente-neuf minutes. Le premier Time of Awakening propose trois parties pour un total dépassant les vingt minutes. Le livret comprend un texte de Barjavel qui illustre l’esprit de ce triptyque. Dès les premiers instants, les percussions nous emmènent vers le superbe univers de WEEND’O, mélange de progressif, de métal et d’atmosphérique. Les arpèges de guitare délicats accompagnent la superbe voix de Laetitia CHAUDEMANCHE. La guitare électrique solo émerge pour faire monter le son et nous faire entrer dans une partie plus rock. La section rythmique soutient le tout de manière superbe. La seconde partie est quasi instrumentale et basée essentiellement sur le superbe jeu de claviers plein de  feeling de Laetitia CHAUDEMANCHE et de quelques sonorités de synthétiseurs bruitistes, peut être dispensables sur le final. La guitare acoustique de Terence N’GUYEN lance la dernière partie, la plus musclée avec riffs lourds, implacables, guitares tranchantes. Le calme revient sur le final, avec une superbe guitare mélodique. Angel Dust est le morceau le plus difficile à apprivoiser, avec une ouverture aux changements de rythmes et d’atmosphères un peu trop nombreux. Une fois passé ce début tumultueux et quelques écoutes, la séduction opère à nouveau avec une pléiade de superbes moments où les divers instruments et le chant font merveille. WEEND’O nous a réservé le meilleur pour la fin avec le diptyque Elea. La première partie qui dépasse les sept minutes constitue une superbe montée en puissance avec la voix d’Alan REED au début et celle de Jérémie MAZAN qui vient poser quelques voix d’outre tombe sur la fin. La seconde est instrumentale avec des vocalises sur fond d’arpèges de guitare avec un léger crescendo à nouveau. TIME OF AWAKENING est une superbe réussite aussi bien sur le plan technique que sur l’émotion, le tout magnifié par une brillante production. On ne peut que leur souhaiter tout le succès qu’ils méritent. La signature avec un label britannique pour la distribution est déjà un premier pas. (**** ½) Jean-Noël DEL CASTILLO