Wedingoth - The Other Side
CD Info
2012
M & O Music
11 Tracks
English Lyrics
Gothic music has a tendency to be, well, Gothic. Makes sense to me. And we go from the not really all that Gothic to the well and truly Gothic, and everything in between. But this release is the later of the two; the option that most appeals to me, especially when it’s done well. And Wedingoth seems to have the recipe down cold. Course, with a name like Wedingoth, we could hardly have expected to hear Country Western. The band is from France and France does seem to be providing a lot of the best in this genre lately. Maybe it’s all those Gothic churches around the country. Whatever it is, they’ve been producing some truly interesting music of late, and this is as fine as any.
A lot of the CD titles we get are a bit cliché. They sound all bad but they’re really just trying to go with the existing thematic direction of the music. Well, that’s not the case here. The Other Side is about the "other side". And I don’t mean the other side of the room, the other side of the political landscape, the other side in a basketball game. It’s not a cheesy interpretation of the concept either; it’s nicely developed, utilizing both a musical and lyrical approach that captures the essence of the desired message. Additionally, the work uses a diverse musical vehicle to deliver on that theme. You get some strong metal, but its symphonic metal. The vocal is delivered primarily by the seductive and highly talented Laure Flores who, along with guitarist Steve Segarra is an original band founder. They have a previous release, another concept thing called Candlelight from 2009. Don’t know much about it but if it’s half as good as this one my advice would be to arrange a double purchase.
Although the CD does have a central focus, that "other side" thing, they go about addressing it from a number of perspectives, all of them highly entertaining. And, you can focus on that literary device and have a totally fine Gothic hour or so doing it, or you can just listen to some damn fine Gothic symphonic metal and forget the lyrical direction. Or, you can take both rides and have a monster good time. My suggestion would be to go with door number three. When someone offers up ideas as interesting as the ones we get here, and encapsulates them in a musical vehicle as solid as this one, I just can’t imagine not appreciating the entire package. This is a solid lyrical statement, and comes packaged in some of the finest music you are likely to hear.
The work begins with the customary "classical" introduction which starts out slowly and builds to one of the finest Gothic oriented sounds I’ve heard. The vocals at the end make sure you know which direction this music is headed, if this isn’t a gateway to the ever after I just don’t know what is. And we cross into that land of eternal darkness with the second selection The Other Side, Part II, Death Tunnel. The music begins as a metal selection; guitars, a double kick drum, dark but not beyond our ability to recognize. However, the vocals begin and our ride commences:
It’s time to me, to see the light / I’m feeling good in this white way, all is welcoming
Ancestry are smiling to me, I go on, It’s bright
All people said that, It wasn’t boast / We have no strength left, when we give up the ghost
Maybe there are drugs, maybe my soul, no one knows it really
Circle of light, it’s true or wrong, always a mystery.
Yea, interesting thoughts, and the music leaves little to be desired. There is a part of me that hears some delusion squared in this release. At least with the vocals. But here, the guitars are a bit harder, the symphonics are more direct, the musical composition more metal oriented. There’s also that diversification in the musical structures. There is some jazz fusion at times, you get some progressive moments, keyboard based and otherwise, that reflect sounds from other genres. But, in the final analysis, this is metal, and we get it with the third selection, River of Souls. Here, we enter the darker realms of Gothic lore, both lyrically and musically. A haunting guitar leads us to a military style drum roll, a dark vocal follows with a tale of searching; where are we, how do we find our way. Life is back a few blocks, this is novel territory.
The Other Side Part IV, Salvation is a beautiful song, with a message of questions. Is this the final destination, can I go beyond this place, how can this be happening to me? There are religious directions in this track, and ethereal moments that seem to place those religious components in proper perspective. Again, some solid guitars drive over the symphonics in an other worldliness that takes us to a final clock, and some theatrical "media" clips that leave us wondering.
No Way Out begins to establish our final reality. This is harder metal, a harder vocal, a more desperate attempt to scream our disturbance with what fate has brought to our understanding.
Forsaken, in front of my past, my future, / Deceived by you
System swears to give us a better chance, yeah, yeah
But it’s a lie, we’ll never have the promised land
No way out, nowhere / We are in the cage, a beautiful trap, a nightmare
Day after day, letdown / We are losing our time, it’s a dream but just a demon
Damn, aint it a beautiful bitch.
From here the music begins to move in different directions. Bliss is just that, a sound of entrancement. Happy, given over to thoughts and musical directions that seem to point us to some understanding, and a reasonable acceptance of our circumstances. There’s a potential for greater good here, we have hope, but is it the hope of the grave, is it recognizable beyond this dark existence?
La Jeune Martyre is another dark selection. It’s based on a painting by Delaroche of a female Christian martyr, and lyrically it talks about another direction of death, a classical interpretation and story that is just one more encountered in our journey. And the following selection, Ever After, uses the music to further establish the themes of that journey. This may be the musical highlight of a superbly strong musical journey. The vocals are strong, the guitars are the kind you remember for a long time. The verse is again poignant. Dark but wonderfully enlightening. The soaring refrains make sure you remember them.
Artificial Paradises is a rocker. I guess there’s some hop in the afterlife, and we get it here, this one rocks. Drums lead the way, pounding us into a bit of duel vocal, riveting death vocals to make sure we understand that the final chorus is near. Not a lot of B & B on this one, but this selection makes clear the band can cover that ground as well. And, this takes us to the final selection, Meditation. This one has a bit of an Eastern tilt to it. And, it provides a satisfying conclusion to our journey; maybe that final resting place is OK after all. Of course, we’re gonna find out one day.
There’s a broad range of musical styles covered in this one release. And that’s not easy to do, and especially to do it with this level of competency. And, the ideas are no less interesting. It’s a wonderful ride, and, in the final analysis, it may provide you with a bit of a roadmap for that final ride. . . just in case you’re thinking about it.
9.5 / 10
