Artwork: photo by Amjad Faur
On July 16th 2021, Vouna released their second album 'Atropos' on Profound Lore Records. A concept album about death, and its aftermath, recorded in solitude during the pandemic by multi-instrumentalist Yianna Bekris, the woman behind this doom project.
According to Greek mythology, Atropos (which means The Inevitable) is one of the Three Fates, also known as the manifestations of destiny. Their purpose was to ensure that every living being lived out their lives according to the laws of the Universe by using a thread. They are Clotho, who spun the thread, Lachesis, who measured the length of the thread and Atropos who cut the thread. The three goddesses were portrayed as old, unattractive women, who symbolized death or accompanied it. And death is one of the truest forms of nature that we live with every day. And life? Life goes on, it doesn't stop to comfort you and acknowledge your loss. And that's a good thing because you eventually must move on too. But how do we deal with death? Yianna asked herself the same question when she started writing for this record. Hopefully, she found an answer for herself during the process of creating this treasure of an album.
The main focus of this record is Yianna's voice. It enchants me every time I hear it. It's comforting, ethereal, warm and it contrasts the thunderous drums and colossal guitar riffs of the doom that Vouna creates. It makes this album original in this world of mostly boring low grunts that most of all sound the same. And I like to emphasize that shoegaze and funeral doom bands become more dimensional, layered and much more vivid when they are fronted by a female vocalist. If Vouna had a male vocalist, this record wouldn't have connected with me the way it did. I don't mean that the music isn't good, it's got a dark folk sound to it that sounds like old forgotten times. And besides synths, guitar, bass and drums there's harp, electric lap steel guitar and a violin on this record, which immediately makes me think of My Dying Bride, the first doom metal band that really connected with me. And the same happened with this record, but the connection was ten times stronger. When her harmonized vocals sing 'Bury me in the highest mountain', I see a passed-on woman lying on a mountain, surrounded by branches, leaves, insects and forest animals. The mountain opens and she is slowly carried into the mountain by roots, branches, earth and insects.
'Vanish' soundtracks the journey to the mountain core. In its dark tunnels, demons dwell and they try to grasp the memories and soul of the departed one. However, Mother Earth is there to protect her and by using her voice, the demons are driven away.
On the dark folk song 'What Once Was (Reprise)', the family and friends of the woman are lost in their grief. They ask themselves what to do with their pain. They have lost a dearly beloved one. It leaves a painful void. Does it need to be filled with anything?
When you experience loss, everything becomes grey. Even when the sun is shining and children play in fields of green grass. Grey. Everything. And you want it to be grey because you are in pain and you want to revel in it. But on the other hand, you want to feel fine, you want to enjoy the sun and see the children play. To make that choice, to go on or to stay in the grey, has to be one of the hardest choices ever. You feel pushed to go on, because time goes on, work goes on, life goes on. And that's when you feel the loneliest when everything goes on and you are there with your grief and pain standing in an empty field looking up to the grey sky, asking ourselves 'How will I go on with the pain of what now is / How will I go on with the pain of what has been'. And that's when you get swallowed by the grey.
'Atropos' came to me at the exact right time. If music creates this universe in your own mind, with such vibrant imagery then getting lost in it, is all the therapy you'll ever need. And so I can't thank Vouna enough for this album. It's a monument. It has conquered a place in my mind and heart and it will stay there until Atropos cuts my thread.
Tracklist:
Highest Mountain
Vanish
What Once Was (Reprise)
Grey Sky
What Once Was