2 years and a half after its debut and self-titled EP, French symphonic prog-metal trio Oïkoumen self-released a first full-length record called ‘Dystopia’ on CD & digital through the main legal platforms.
This concept album is about the anxiety generated by receiving all day long (bad) news from all around the world (from ecological and economic to human issues)
In addition to the official release-news, the band also shared the whole effort for full-streaming on Bandcamp.
Oïkoumen comes from a Greek word “oïkoumene” which refers to the known and habitable world. It is also a notion related to mankind and its relationships with its environment.
It hints at what we are all part of but also points all that we still have to discover.
The ouroboros refers to the eternal renewal of mankind and time as cycles. It is pierced by rays of light to bring a bit of optimism in this dark reality.
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As a band Oïkoumen was founded in 2017 by Elie V. composer and Laura M. lyricist. At this time the band was more rooted in historical themes. Then Yael F. joined in 2018 as the bass player and synths programmer.
First influenced by big names of the symhonic metal scene such as Epica, Nightwish and Within Temptation, the band released its debut and self-titled EP (2020) with the aim to tell about historical subjects in their works and share epic vibes.
However, with the single “The Green Queen” and then the album ‘Dystopia’ (fall 2022), the band heads towards a more brutal and incisive aesthetic with the harmony and rythmics but still with symphonic vibes thanks to the orchestras.
FFO : Epica, Gojira, Dream Theater, Tool, Nightwish, Amberian Dawn, Meshuggah, Jinjer…
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