We all know that in those fifty years of great success Metal music has split into dozens of subgenres. Some of them are more relevant than the others, as my dear child of the night might know. By relevant I do not major the importance or quality, I only mean the quantity of releases we receive every day. By that number it is possible to wonder how popular a Metal subgenre is. By far, Symphonic Metal, Death Metal and Black Metal are among the subgenres we receive releases the most. Of course, quantity does not immediatley mean quality because some bands are mere copies of the founders or pioneers of the subgenre. But that’s a very controvertial subject to discuss here.
All right, then, that said I have the honor to introduce you, my dear child of the night, to Oïkoumen with “Resilience,” a Progressive Symphonic Metal band that really caught my heart. Well, in fact, as a rule, roughly said, Symphonic Metal bands melt NWOBHM features with Symphonic ones. The balance between both depends on the band and their will. It is widely accepted to boil some other musical influences in the sauce to spice it up a little, or much. Operatic vocals are also one distinctive feature and their balance also depend on the band and vocalists. Sopranos and mezzo sopranos are fairly common even though some bands do not have them preferring common voices – hmm, common. I do not know if this term is correct, but whatever, it is the best I have right now. Oïkoumen‘s Laura Mazard is actually a soprano, a great one, if you ask me.
I said that the band caught my heart beginning with the quite interesting name Oïkoumen, which comes from the ancient Greek oikouménē, means the unhabitated Earth or the known world, which is the space ocupied by us, humankind, as opposed to the salvage zones or unexplored. That’s true. The band got me. Musically, the band explores the nuances of Classical music with harsh and strong guitars plus the magnificent voice of Laura Mazard. Besides that, lyrically, the band explores some uncommon themes as tracks as intro “Theft of Innocence,” “Reign of Idiocy,” which is a critique to the internet and social media world, and “Self-Service.”
From the beginning with the intro “Theft of Innocence,” “Resilience” captured my heart with impulsive guitars and the creative use of the combination og the symphonic and orchestral elements with Metal music. From where I am sit, the band balances them quite well. The grand horns that open up “Reign of Idiocy“ give it the grandness and desilusion the theme demands. I see it as an introduction of the illusionay world most people are in when absorved totally by their cell phones all day long. Also, the operatic vocals give it a sense of urgency. On the other hand, “Revenge” comes with a more modern guitar approach relying less on vocals that other tracks of the album. It is a very powerful track though with the guitars and the spectacular drumming which unfortunately is uncredited. It is funny that when one likes a band even the songs whose features one generally does not like turn out to be good. I blame it to the vocals as well. The Green Queen does her best here. A big bravo to the green message Oïkoumen pass. We need it. Besides the uncommon tittle “A Time-flying Ballad” unites the beauty of slow oriented themes with a flawless instrumental with acoustic guitars and some ethereal effects. Time flies listening to it. It reminds a lot Renaissance and other 1970s Prog Rock bands with female voices. Tittle track “Resilience” closes the normal album following the same spirit, but here using lots of chords in a touching orchestral arrangement. to some extent, the track brought me back memories from “Emerson, Lake & Palmer” orchestral arrangements, but with vocals.
With “Resilience” Oïkoumen prove it is possible to sound totally fresh even when it comes to subgenres that are full of bands and may sound a little worn out.
Oïkoumen “Resilience” was released on April 17th.
Track Listing:
01. Theft of Innocence
02. The Day We Fled
03. Reign of Idiocy
04. Revenge
05. A Time-flying Ballad
06. Self-Service
07. Lost Wood of Mind
08. Break the Silence
09. Resilience
10. Impulse (live) (bonus track)
11. A Lullaby for Nightmares (bonus track)
Watch “Reign of Idiocy” official music video here:
I’m just a lucky guy who has chosen metal to live with for a long time. Metal changed my life for good. It made me more confident and stronger. Metalheads are naturally far away from the mass mediocrity and don’t accept impostures from anybody else. Metal is more than music, it’s a life changing oportunity!