ELEND WINDS DEVOURING MEN
Prophecy Productions - 2003
By Rodrigo Escandon
After five years after the release of The Umbersun which signified the conclusion of the 3-part Lecons de Tenebres which included the Lecons de Tenebres and Les Tenebres du Dehors albums, Elend is back with Winds Devouring Men and with a decidedly different approach to their music.
Gone are the bombastic symphonies of those releases, the desperate screams and just a certain sense of magic that made the trilogy so special. Winds Devouring Men is dominated by minimalism and with a constant ominous mood. Songs are driven or heavily feature instruments such as harpsichords (Worn Out With Dreams), bells, (The Plain Maks of Daylight), pianos, violins (Charis) and with a simplistic use of synthesizers that are used to add ambiance and an occasional industrial sound (Under War-Broken Trees).
As I mentioned before the desperate screams are nowhere to be found and instead we have a male baritone voice with a chanting choir from time to time. But the thing I miss the most is the use of a female lead vocalist like the trilogy featured. They lyrics of this release are based on a French poem that describes an odyssey of wandering with the constant urge to return home. It is packed full of emotion and uniting both the lyrics and music one can go through many different emotions.
This is not the Elend I was used to but it is still a very good album despite some of my critiques. This band definitely has a different mission and goal as to what they want to accomplish with their music but I just can not help but feel that the name of Elend should have been left alone and for the band to have used a different name, especially after such a long span between albums.
Prophecy Productions Website
Elend Official Website
Prophecy Productions - 2003
By Rodrigo Escandon
After five years after the release of The Umbersun which signified the conclusion of the 3-part Lecons de Tenebres which included the Lecons de Tenebres and Les Tenebres du Dehors albums, Elend is back with Winds Devouring Men and with a decidedly different approach to their music.
Gone are the bombastic symphonies of those releases, the desperate screams and just a certain sense of magic that made the trilogy so special. Winds Devouring Men is dominated by minimalism and with a constant ominous mood. Songs are driven or heavily feature instruments such as harpsichords (Worn Out With Dreams), bells, (The Plain Maks of Daylight), pianos, violins (Charis) and with a simplistic use of synthesizers that are used to add ambiance and an occasional industrial sound (Under War-Broken Trees).
As I mentioned before the desperate screams are nowhere to be found and instead we have a male baritone voice with a chanting choir from time to time. But the thing I miss the most is the use of a female lead vocalist like the trilogy featured. They lyrics of this release are based on a French poem that describes an odyssey of wandering with the constant urge to return home. It is packed full of emotion and uniting both the lyrics and music one can go through many different emotions.
This is not the Elend I was used to but it is still a very good album despite some of my critiques. This band definitely has a different mission and goal as to what they want to accomplish with their music but I just can not help but feel that the name of Elend should have been left alone and for the band to have used a different name, especially after such a long span between albums.
Prophecy Productions Website
Elend Official Website
