CD Info

2012
Lycan Records / UK

12 Tracks

English Lyrics

Sophomore efforts are not always the best releases a band does. You usually get something pretty good the first time out, either that or there isn’t a second release. However, assuming the first one worked, those second shots are often hastily put together in order to profit from the first release, especially if that first one did real well. You know, the old "strike while the iron’s hot" bit. This may be something of an exception to that rule. WIE’s first release, Awakening took the musical world like Grant took Richmond, ahh, that’s from the American Civil War, or the War of Northern Aggression, depending on which side you were on. Of course, most of you weren’t on either side, unless you’re Irish in which case you got slaughtered on both sides. But, I digress. Bottom line here, this is certainly on a par with the first release, solid Gothic metal, symphonic where it needs to be and fronted by a solid female vocal. That vocal is the lovely Ms. Vicky Johnson, and saying anything negative about her would draw the wrath of Robin Stryker, those lawyers do stick together. Fortunately, there is no need to say anything negative, Ms. Johnson is a vocal of considerable talent, and one that fits in with this style of music quite well. And the rest of the band is hardly a bunch of rappers. Sam Cull, the guitarist, is often mentioned prominently, and for good reason, a solid axe. Of course, for me, it’s always about the keyboards, without them, well, it’s more like standard American rock and that doesn’t work for me all the time, especially when I’m in the mood for Gothic, which is traditionally symphonic oriented. So, here that keyboard is provided by Steve Johnson, not a relative of the vocalist as I understand it, but a powerful force on much of this release.

It’s been said that musical sounds often reflect certain geographical characteristics of that part of the world where the sound originates. Italians certainly present a musical interpretation of that society, in its many sociological interpretations. The Russians and many of the Eastern Europeans seem to capture the classical elements well, and, given their historical association with those musical themes, that seems natural. Well, WIE is from the north of England, County Durham to be specific. And, that’s a dark region of the country, heavy industry, coal and iron, metal and darkness, a hardness that is reflected in the music. Ms. Johnson doesn’t really do an opera style, it’s a straight ahead style, no compromises, and the rest of the band seems to follow that motif, solid, thundering and in your face metal, but with that promise of an ethereal symphonic that seems to capture another element of that society. The Brits are, of course, a society that has their share of beautiful music, of beautiful stories and lyrics. So, we get both components, the dark and the beautiful, and they’re put together rather nicely in this production, all we need is a little of the Beatles doing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to make it all come together. Sorry, didn’t happen but maybe next time.

Lyrically, this production shows no drop off from the first one. We go into some dark places here, not always the ethereal darkness of some traditional Gothic, but dark in other senses. Life is full of pain, hope is elusive, we cry for a window into the beautiful and rarely are we fortunate enough to achieve that place. But, it’s all in the attempt, and WIE talks about this voyage. Remembrance can be hope, but what we remember is so often colored by our perception, and that perception is often just a blind, one that helps us cope, one that makes reality something that we can live with. WIE talks about this futility, and the striving to make sense of it, or to darken our senses to the eventual hopelessness of the journey. And they do it with some beautiful, elegant metal. They use a variety of musical techniques and sounds to guide us through this voyage, some emphasize the beauty of the journey, others seem to remind us that the pain is all too real and that our hopes are, in the final analysis, only a shade, an all too limited glimpse into the true depths that will eventually envelop us. But, what the hell, enjoy the ride, it’s damn sure encapsulated in some sure ‘nuff fine metal.

The journey begins with For the Few. This is the classical introduction, or what passes for it with WIE. We do get the full symphonic, but this is actually a full track, complete with vocals. And, once that vocal begins, we get that crunching guitar I mentioned above. The vocal direction takes us into the ethereal, but without the opera we sometimes expect. But, the symphonic is there, making sure we recognize this is Western European music, in all its glory and splendor. And, the lyrics make sure we understand that this will be a ride on the dark side.

Blood, stained upon his hands / Turns his gaze to conquests new, intent to gain
Fear, walks the streets at home / Lovers share one last embrace, their fate unknown

The metal begins to climb, to bring us to new heights. The drums begin to build and we realize that the symphonic has yielded to the metal; this is metal to drive the soul.

Death streams across the land / Hiding up above the clouds are wings of fear
Hope stirs amongst the few / Moving men to toil and fight against the dark

One of the interesting things about this release is the continuity of message from the previous release to this one. The first release had two interesting tracks at the end, Awakening I and II. They were a high point. Here, we get versions III, IV and V. All are interesting from a lyrical perspective, some are more interesting from a musical perspective than others. My man Sam Cull does both lead and rhythm guitars here, which, I suspect, is hard to do live. And, at times, that can impede the work. I mean, sometimes things get a bit mechanical, that is to say, the music is TOO good technically. At other times, as in Awakening III, we get a killer solo that would bring the house down in any live performance. It’s hard to complain about too much expertise in the production department, but, that might be a legitimate bitch here, and that goes for the vocals as well. I’d like to hear a bit more raw emotion from Ms. Johnson, just a scream here or there. With a voice like hers there’s a lot more we could get from her.

Lies is clearly one of the highlights of this production. We begin with some of the best symphonics on the work, some of the best you’re gonna hear. However, this is a bit more in the direction of a traditional metal number, once we get past that symphonic introduction. And the guitar work in the background would work in any biker bar I know, and I know a few. And this juxtaposition of the guitar and the vocal drive this track, taking us to a crunching interpretation of reality that is entirely satisfying.

What We Leave Behind is another track that makes full use of the keyboard. In this case, it’s often a piano sound, although there are also symphonics. Again, the vocals drive the track, but with each of the instruments taking a share of the ride. The bass line is especially interesting, and that always makes things more interesting for me. But this track rocks, this is the hard part of WIE, this is the metal in all its glory, and that piano makes sure we understand that these are solid musicians. The story concludes with a somber note.

I’ll be with you when it’s over / You will always be my home

This may be a "second act", with all the deficiencies associated with that concept. But WIE doesn’t seem to be much affected by the curse. There are a few gripes; however they probably reflect my personal idiosyncrasies more than anything else. Although I do wish there had been some posted tracks to point to, I didn’t see any at this point. But, that’s what we’re here for, to bitch. On the other hand, once those minor bitches are made, this is solid material. You can’t go wrong here, it’s English Female Fronted Metal at its finest, and they’re from Durham. Can’t beat that.

9 / 10

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