The French act Westwind is active for quite some time, with various cdr releases and a contribution to the Thaglasz ‘Security of Ignorance’ boxset.. Now there is a limited vinyl release on the young Belgian Neuropa label. It contains quite harsh industrial music, with a martial atmosphere.
Thematically this release is based on the Japanese kamikaze attacks of WWII. This also shows in the video included on the promo cdr which I received. The music on ‘Le vent divin’ is quite varied. Really excellent is the ‘Introduction’, with starts as a restrained asoundscape, but which gets more industrial and martial towards the end. It makes me think of some releases on the Loki label.
Fans of harsh industrial factory sounds also won’t be disappointed by this release. Some of the tracks like ‘Banzai’ are really loud, with ominous sirens, heavy distorted drones and fierce drumming. ‘Assaut’ is impressive, with a very threatening orchestral sound, which should appeal to fans of Toroidh or Turbund Sturmwerk. The ‘Requiem’ at the end manages to create a solemn mood.
On the promo cdr are, besides the 8 tracks of the lp, also 4 remixes present by various acts. Of these I especially appreciate the contribution by Fin de Siècle, which creates some space and mleody in the rather dense sound of Westwind. The French vocals are also a welcome variation. The loud remix by Barbarossa Umtrank and the rhythmic bombardment of Neon Rain are harder to endure. The rhythmic industrial by A Challenge of Honour (feat. Katana) works quite well.
Kris, the Frenchman behind Westwind, is quite a productive person, since he’s also involved in two other projects, Destruction Flowers (noise) and Nouveaux Axes (teknopop), his own label Steelwork Maschine and a radioshow in his hometown Brest. With ‘Le vent divin’ he has certainly delivered an interesting release, which may sound too harsh and raw for some ears, but will be liked by many people who are into dark industrial and martial sounds.
