WuW – L’Orchaostre
Release Date: 3rd February 2023
Label: Pelagic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Doom, Cosmic Doom, Post Metal, Drone.
FFO: Messa, King Woman, In Solitude.
Review By: John Newlands
I was unaware of WuW until October 2022 when they signed to Pelagic Records. Being a bit of a fan-boy for this label I was sure that WuW would be something I should check out, and I must admit, I just downright forgot to look into the band amongst the swathes of fantastic releases in October & November 2022. I finally got to catch up with my listening which included the two singles from L’Orchaostre and my interest in the upcoming release was firmly piqued.
WuW, a Parisian duo, was formed in 2016 by brothers Benjamin and Guillaume Colin, both of whom are classically trained musicians, and have released two albums to date. Their latest release L’Orchaostre is an instrumental concept album about a group of young individuals trying to make their way through a desolate post-apocalyptic land and find a place to survive. It is broken down into 5 movements / parts named Orchaostre 1 through 5 and has a running time of just under 42 minutes.
Orchaostre 1 opens with some soft guitar work, delicate electronics and a slow paced doomy drumbeat. Around 2 minutes into the track a heavy wall of bass, guitars and electronics swarm around us providing an oppressive, bleak and somewhat claustrophobic feeling. The recurring motives in the track can be both somber and hopeful at the same time, tying in nicely to the concept of the album.
Orchaostre 2 starts with a doomy, drone velcro fuzz guitars underpinning ethereal dreamy ebow like guitars and ethereal electronics. Around 3 minutes in, the pace picks up, and the lead guitar adds an urgency not experienced thus far in the album. Going back to the concept, are our hopeful group of survivors in some peril or danger? It certainly feels so here! Towards the end, we see more synth work being introduced over the urgent lead guitar work, creating a feeling of both urgency and hope in the tracks climax.
Droning lead guitar opens Orchaostre 3 before the heavy oppressive bass, rhythm guitar and drums kick in with a slow drudging pace. Again, there is light to this darkness in the form of lead guitar and sci-fi electronics. WuW do very well to not overplay the sci-fi nature of the electronics, nor do they fall into the normal cheesy tropes one would associate with these kinds of sounds.
Orchaostre 4 is the slowest of the 5 tracks and is more electronic / synth forward than its predecessors. This is no way a bad thing, instead offering some levity and hope to what has so far been quite a heavy, claustrophobic and foreboding experience. Don’t get me wrong though, these elements can still be felt within Orchaostre 4 like a brooding storm, they linger on the horizon.
The album closes out with Orchaostre 5 which I would say is my favourite on the release and the most post-metal inspired song on the album. This behemoth hasn’t got time to hang about and picks up the pace after a long slow picked guitar orientated intro. Moving beyond the intro the intensity of the track ebbs and flows, lurching into slower and lighter sections before blasting us with a revisited heavy doom riff before full intensity is reached, and the band goes all out for the last 3 minute, it’s fantastic, and rivals masters of the genre such as Russian Circles.
Overall, I’m very impressed with this release, definitely one of the best things I’ve heard this year & I’m sure I’ll be coming back to it often throughout 2023. The synths and lead guitars seem to lead the way in creating glimmers of uplifting joy, while the more traditional doom and metal elements pull us to the darkness. This is a beautiful contrast that is expertly crafted and employed throughout the entirety of L’Orchaostre. It does not sound like only two guys playing, and I would be keen to see how it is pulled off in a live setting.
I also wanted to make mention of the artwork for this release, it’s awesome! The vinyl colour variants on offer from Pelagic are wonderful shades of pink, white and a turquoise blue that really completes the full package of the album. My only comment is that I can’t tie together the art and the theme/concept of the album, but that’s fair enough.
So, after thoroughly enjoying this listen I was still left with one annoying little question (perhaps one you have too!), what does WuW mean??
Thankfully the band have been kind enough to explain, “WuW is the sound wind makes when it blows on a hot night”, “It’s a low-end murmur that grabs you by the guts, a blast of air rushing through the mountains and the oceans.” Very fitting.
So with that settled, I’m off to order that gorgeous baby pink and blue vinyl and a t-shirt too if it’s still available!!!
(4.5 / 5)
