On the 17th of April, Oïkoumen will release their new concept album "Resilience". I already had the pleasure to give it a listen and you will find in this article what you need to know about it.
Three singles are already out with music videos: “Reign of Idiocy”, “Self-service” and “Revenge”. They give the tone of the album and show us that we will go through hard topics.
If you don’t know Oïkoumenyet, they are a French orchestral progressive metal band founded in 2017. The band has three members: guitarist, composer and founder Elie Veux, singer and lyricist Laura Mazard and bass player and synth programmer Yaël Febvray.
The introduction of the album, “Theft of Innocence”, will directly take us to the early beginning of trauma: childhood. One thing is clear: Oïkoumen decided to explore difficult subjects and this album will be a moving experience. It is also the introduction of the lullaby, a melody that will be the common thread of the album.
Oïkoumen focuses on humanity's darkness without excluding the light, with topics such as parental violence, sexual abuse and bullying but also desire of life and of course resilience. This album depicts the difficult process of healing from different traumas and ends with a beautiful song full of hope.
We can hear this evolution not only through the lyrics sung by the impressive Laura, but also with the melodies that perfectly carry the different emotions. The theme of the lullaby we find in the introduction comes and goes until the final song, “Resilience”, the most orchestral one that gave me shivers.
The guitar is sometimes powerful and aggressive, but can also be soft and slow. The amateurs of more heavy music will enjoy the song “Revenge” with powerful riffs or “Lost Wood of Mind” with the harsh vocals, while the ones who prefer softer melodies will rather like “A Time-flying ballad” or “Resilience”. The rest of the album is a perfect blend of those two sides of Oïkoumen with the signature operatic voice of Laurathat emphasizes the dramatic side of the lyrics. Her voice also adapts to the words perfectly, sometimes soft, sometimes powerful but always full of emotions. Her versatility serves the message of Oïkoumen and won’t leave us indifferent.
No matter the emotions or the style, Oïkoumen takes us with them and this journey won't leave the listener exactly the same as before. Oïkoumen ingredients in this album are: deep lyrics, operatic singing with a pinch of harsh vocals, beautiful guitars, and orchestral elements to season everything. Mix them well and here comes “Resilience”, an album that will give you food for thoughts!
Despite the dark aspects, I really enjoy the experience and I think this is also the goal of music: not only entertaining us but giving us to think. For sure I won’t listen to this album when I want something light and easy, but “Resilience” is the mirror of life here, and life is also full of hard times. I give 95% to Oïkoumen for this ambitious concept album which, in my opinion, fulfilled its objectives but could maybe even go a little deeper in the lyrics of some songs.
Written by Céline Fetel
Edited by Kerry Lynx
