French band Oïkoumen have honed a fascinating sound that marries metal with progressive, orchestral and symphonic elements, which they describe as “powerful, breathless and moving.”
Oïkoumen was first formed in 2017 by vocalist Laura Mazard and composer and guitarist Elie Veux, who met during their university studies. The duo initially focused their music on historical themes, but took a more progressive turn when they met bassist and synth programmer Yael Febvray two years later at a music school. As the band’s sound evolves, they’re focusing on more orchestral arrangements for “a more majestic second album.”
Describing the sound they’ve crafted, Laura told us: “Oïkoumen’s music is quite immersive. A lot is happening, and there’s a raw emotional intensity to it. (Latest single) Enchanted Worlds tries to channel that emotion into something more positive. Describing joy is no easy task, but that’s the challenge we set for ourselves here. Especially since the songs that follow will be much less cheerful!”
As alluded to, our latest taste of this is the band’s new single Enchanted Worlds, which was released last month and features Noémie Marie, the singer of fellow French/Swiss symphonic progressive metal band Hartlight. It opens up with a jaunty little flute-type instrument over rolling drums and stabs of guitar. That flows into dual vocals that tee up dramatic high-pitched vocals, which flow into dual vocals and big guitars as the flute returns, then Laura’s high vocals “I am daughter of the dragons, Immortal” are answered by Noémie’s “Eternal wings and the lost ocean, hyrule and spira.” That tees up dual vocals in a chorus of “Enchanted worlds, Worlds of pixels, Deep into me I need to dream, Deep into my child soul.”
Noémie’s vocals take over, before being joined by Laura’s impressive high-pitched vocals. The pace suddenly drops with Laura’s huge vocals taking centre stage, before handing over to a prolonged guitar solo to bring the track to a dramatic conclusion.
On the track, Laura told us: “The reception of Enchanted Worlds has been quite positive so far. We already had one track, Impulse, that was a bit more cheerful than the rest and really resonated with our fans, so we wanted to do something special for them, especially for those who love symphonic music! And above all, we wanted to surprise them by inviting Noémie Marie, the singer of Hartlight, with whom we recently did a short tour and absolutely loved working with. So it was both a way for us to collaborate with someone we truly appreciate and to elevate this song, which stands apart from our usual sound. Actually, we met Noémie when we were rewriting this song and we were like: ‘It is made for this collaboration!'”
As they alluded to, that track follows on from Oïkoumen’s excellent previous single Impulse and their 2022 debut album Dystopia. The album is packed with symphonic metal goodness like the delicious Insidious, the powerful and slightly creepy Slaughterhouse, and the dramatic Green Warriors and Five Elements. But a personal favourite is Burnout, which opens up with stabbing guitars that continue under a fast-paced lick. Laura’s delicious vocals take over with some really cool delivery, including some amazing fast-paced “ha-ha-ha-ha” notes. Impressive high-pitched vocals take over, ending with delicious drawn-out vocals. Check out this superb track in the video here:
The Oïkoumen sound has been heavily influenced by Nightwish. As Laura explains: “They make incredible use of orchestras – it’s our dream to one day work with a real orchestra like they do – and their music is just so powerful. If we had to name just one influence, it would be them!
“When it comes to composing, Elie is mostly influenced by Romantic and Baroque music. Of course, there are also the metal bands he’s listened to forever, but they’re not his primary inspiration. As for the lyrics, they are shaped by our environment. The first album was heavily focused on eco-anxiety. The next one will tackle the topic of childhood trauma and the violence some endure. So, in between all that, we also need to uplift ourselves! Enchanted Worlds is here to remind us that sometimes we need to take a break and focus on the good things.”
We’re very partial to some good symphonic metal and, if you are too, we think you’re going to love the sound of Oïkoumen. The band fuses powerful, engaging vocals with excellent composition and the ability to mix things up and keep you on your toes. Oïkoumen have just finished writing their second album and are about to start recording it, so hope to have announcements about when it will be released shortly. They already have video shoots planned, aim to bring it to life on stage, and will launch it with “an epic release party” in Paris.
And Laura added: “I’d say that with Oïkoumen, we explore a lot of different things. Even though we have our own signature sound, we try to stay diverse. Right now we’re releasing a track for symphonic music fans; tomorrow, it might be more prog, or even something acoustic… You just have to be open to being surprised!”
You can follow Oïkoumen on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
Listen to Oïkoumen and more new music on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Metal and GigRadar Symphonic
GigRadar 