Origins

From MetalBite:

Review by JD on 3/31/2011

Now and then, I end up feeling equally confused and intrigued by an act that comes to me. I find myself at this point with a Norwegian one man band called Weh... confusion. This is very unusual, indeed.

Using only acoustic guitars (twelve and six string) sometimes a bass or synthesizers in the background - this single solitary man (sometimes with a few friends) makes what I would like to coin Satanic Folk music. Sort of like if you mixed the darkness of Bathory with an odd musical adaptation of Bob Dylan and flower children. Oddly artistic... is still not metal, but amazingly this is pretty good when you get down to it.

"Origins" is not everyone’s cup of tea, but Erik E makes it work with demonic ease. With haunting simpleness and hades induced lyrics that creeps into your mind it is a travel down the river Styx and through the seven gates of hell. It is not metal but it is good. Songs like the haunting 'Ruin' to the acoustic power of 'The Grave', this double disk is packed with Black Metal power without the metal.

I like these disks, but I do not love them. As a musician, I see the amazing levels of talent in them, but the music lacks that certain power that metal has, so this is lost from the start. I would recommend "Origins", as a background music at a Halloween party. It will summon things from the depth of hell... if this was metal, I would give "Origins" a perfect 10.

A word of suggestion to Erik E from me: consider redoing all of this music with electric guitars, bass and drums and summon the power of metal. You have the talent, use the right medium to do it.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 5
Originality: 9
Overall: 6

Rating: 6.8 (all of this for the talent, not the metal aspect)


From The Shadows Commence:

by cmerik

Score: 81%

I’m doing this really quick as I don’t really have time to review this album, but I need to let you all know about it anyway. The Norwegian underground singer / songwriter / nefolkster WEH is finally available on CD format, after almost a decade of activity. “Origins” collects all of those precious songs that was given away for free in MP3 format through the years over at WEH’s official site. All the way from 2002 “The Death” EP to “North” that was recorded not long ago at all, and it expands even further by including some brand new tracks to end the second disc. Amazing.

As the material is presented in chronological order, the first disc has all the ancient tracks, and certainly has it’s charm. By then, WEH was a more experimenting act and praised dark folk as well as death country, and often sang with a slightly growled voice. “Ballad To The Harvest” and “Lady Death” are examples of splendid apocalyptic amateur folk, but the true highlight on the first disc is certainly “And The Raven Spoke My Name”, which can be seen as something between the best of “Kveldssanger” and OF THE WAND AND THE MOON. This track has proven the test of time and has shown no sings of getting old.

The second disc starts off with a cover of the black metal band WINDIR’s “Likbør”. Fantastic work, with deep vocals sung in Norwegian. Furthermore, don’t miss “The Bells Are Ringing Doom” which is neofolk done better than most of the best artists in the genre. From the new songs, I’d like to point out “En Bekk Av Blod” as my favourite. I haven’t heard such grieving tunes in a long time, and the lyrics (once again in Norwegian) speak of depression and apocalypse with genuine honesty.

I’m so glad that Soulseller Records saw the potential in WEH and decided to release this magnificent and retrospective two disc set. WEH’s been deserving such a nice release for years.
And you who reads, if you have any interest in the underground neofolk scene, don’t dare to miss out on “Origins”! It’s the best home produced dark folk ever, alongside with our Swedish pride APATHEIA.


From necroweb.de:

CD-Rezension von blackrose
Bewertung : 8 von 10 Silberlinge

Eine ganze Latte an Veröffentlichungen kann das 2002 von Erik E ins Leben gerufene dunkel akustische Projekt Weh bereits vorweisen und vereint Auszüge aus diesen nun auf dem Output "Origins", welches ganze zwei Silberlinge umfasst. Alleine aufgrund der Fülle an Songs und einer Gesamtspielzeit von knapp zwei Stunden lässt sich der Fleiß des Mannes, der sowohl die Instrumentierung als auch den Gesang für sich beansprucht hat, erahnen. Doch nicht nur Demo-Aufnahmen aus den Jahren 2002 bis 2006 fanden Eingang auf dieser Teil-Retrospektive. Auch neuen Songs (sechs an der Zahl) und der Coverversion des Songs "Likbør" (ursprünglich von der Band Windir) kann man lauschen.

Lauschen ist auch der richtige Ausdruck für die Art, wie man sich "Origin" am besten zu Gemüte führt. Denn unter dem großen Banner der 'Akustik Musik', die Emotionen sowohl zu Tage fördert als auch an den Hörer zu transportieren vermag, zelebriert Weh auf eindrucksvolle Weise und mit Akustikgitarre untermalend seine Songs.
Dabei führen meist ruhige Melodien die Songs an, welche oft auch melancholischen Charakter haben. Besonders überzeugt mit dieser Kombination der Song "Lady Death" von der "The Death EP", auf welcher bloß eine 12-saitige Gitarre, ein Tamburin und der Gesang zum Einsatz kamen. Alle Facetten und Stärken von Weh werden in "Lady Death" vereint, der meiner Meinung nach der herausragendste auf dem ersten Silberling ist. Darunter zählt auch das bereits von anderen Bands bekannte, und durch Weh auf den Punkt gebrachte Zusammenspiel von clean und guttural vorgetragenen Lyrics. Dieses Wechselspiel markiert vor allem in diesem Song den Höhepunkt. Gepaart mit der eingängigen und melodischen Songstruktur verleitet "Lady Death" zum wiederholten Hören und überzeugt auch nach etlichen Durchläufen noch. Ein absoluter Anspieltipp.
Nach einer ausgiebigen Reise durch die Diskografie von Weh folgen auf Rundling Nummer zwei dann die angesprochenen neuen Songs. Interessant, wie Weh sich ohne große instrumentale Umstrukturierungen dennoch neu zu erfinden vermag.
Dass bei der Masse an Songs keins dem anderen ähnelt, ist vermutlich nur für absolute Fans heraushörbar, lässt man sich aber auf die beiden CDs ein, so kann man wundervolle Momente erleben.

Obwohl man es auf "Origins" vornehmlich mit auf Akusitkgitarre und Gesang reduzierte Songs zu tun hat, kann man die Weiterentwicklung des Projekts hörbar verfolgen. Die Songs nehmen an Struktur zu, variieren mehr und auch die Instrumentierung zeigt sich flexibel, wird doch die 12-Saiter durch eine 6-Saiter ersetzt und ein Bass hinzugenommen.
Vom Tempo her bleibt man aber immer gleich: langsam und bedächtig, ohne Ausreißer zu haben. Auf Dauer kann dies so manch einen Hörer vom gesamten Konsum beider Silberlinge abbringen, man benötigt somit schon viel Geduld, Ausdauer und eine gehörige Portion Stimmung, um dieses Doppelalbum vollständig zu hören. Es passt mit Sicherheit nicht in jede Stimmung hinein.
Vielmehr lädt Weh zum Träumen und Nachdenken ein, kann den Hörer aber auch einfach nur berieseln. Durch die durchgängige Ruhe, die das Werk "Origin" versprüht, ist dieses nichts für depressiv veranlagte Personen. Insgesamt gesehen ist das Werk gut gelungen, jedoch nicht jedermanns Geschmack. Man sollte vorher schon ein Ohr riskieren, bevor man sich für einen Kauf entscheidet. Sollten einem dann aber die angetesteten Songs gefallen, schnell zugreifen! Bereuen wird man dann nichts.


From Nachtaktiv-web.de:

2011-03-28 22:03
Das Akustik-Folk-Projekt „WEH“ wurde im Jahr 2002 von Erik E gegründet. Der Focus lag von Anfang an auf dunklen und stimmungsvollen Klängen. Das vorliegende Album enthält auf zwei CDs mit einer Gesamtspielzeit von 120 Minuten alle bisher von der „WEH“ aufgenommenen Demos und Songs aus den Jahren 2002 bis 2010. Es geht musikalisch sehr minimalistisch zu bei „WEH“, sowohl was die Instrumente als auch die Struktur der Songs betrifft. Nur eine Akustikgitarre, ein Tamburin und die Stimme von Erik sind in den ersten Stücken zu hören. Später mischen sich ganz verhalten Keyboardklänge dazu, ohne jedoch den Sound zu dominieren. Besonders die ersten Stücke sind nur von wenigen Akkorden getragen. Doch gerade diese klaren und einfachen Strukturen machen auch den Charme von „WEH“ aus. Unter Eriks helle, klare Gesangsstimme mischen sich gelegentlich kehlige Growls aus dem Hintergrund, die die dunkle Atmosphäre unterstreichen. Anhand der chronologisch aufgereihten Songs kann man auch die Entwicklung von „WEH“ nachvollziehen. Während die ersten Demos noch eine beschwingte Leichtigkeit an den Tag legen, sind die später aufgenommenen Songs deutlich melancholischer und dunkler. Zudem wirken einige der ersten Stücke wie Fragmente, weil sie doch sehr kurz sind und manchmal recht abrupt enden. Die Texte sind überwiegend in Englisch. Eine Ausnahme bildet der erste Titel auf der zweiten CD. Dieser Song namens „Likbør“ ist ein Cover der norwegischen Black-Metal Band Windir. Besonders die Stücke der zweiten CD begeistern durch ihre musikalische Qualität. Alles in allem ein hübsches Album, was man zur Entspannung mal hören kann.

Anspieltipps:
„Likbør“
„Origins“
„Deadline“


From Rockfreaks.net:

Written by: PP on 26/1-11 at 02:57:06
Norway's Weh, or rather the mastermind behind it known as Erik E, has chosen an interesting way to introduce himself to the international markets: round-up all the old demos and other recordings from between 2002 and now, shove them all on a deluxe edition double disc, and release it as "Origins", over two hours and forty-five songs worth of music in one package. In other words, a reviewer's nightmare. Nevertheless Weh (or Erik) has managed to impress me thoroughly with acoustic folk in consistent quality throughout the two discs.

The promo blurb states that Weh is "about acoustic music, trying to channel the dark emotions and hopefully succeeding in doing so". It's quite an accurate statement, but to that I'd add that Erik's acoustic folk brings into mind vivid landscapes of largely unexplored cedar/fir forests and indigenous tribes living by the rules of the nature, surrounded by bewilderingly beautiful lakes and ponds in their thousands. Aerial pictures of Canada, Sweden, Norway or Finland come to mind constantly while listening to the record. All of this is achieved through very simple means: a mere acoustic guitar and deep baritone vocals. Very rarely some shrieks and growls are added in as an intriguing contrast to the soft acoustic folk soundscapes, a contrast I certainly haven't run across very often in the past.

It is this contrast, alongside a penchant for writing honest and believable folk songs that makes Weh stand out. The songs are breathtaking in their beauty and mood, a commendable detail considering how little instrumentation and vocals is used overall. And this, my friends, is what separates good folk/singer-songwriters from the bad ones, the ability to pack emotion and to create interesting soundscapes full of beauty. Some do it lyrically, like Frank Turner, and others do like Erik E on the Weh songs. Actually, a sharp listener can imagine Frank Turner to sound like this if he played introspective Scandinavian acoustic folk concentrating on the spirit of nature and its meaning in today's life instead of pissed off punk-influenced folk. Recommended for any fan of acoustic music. [7]


From Noizz Webzine:

domingo 16 de enero de 2011
WEH - Origins
Weh7/10
El sello holandés Soulseller Records, que nos tiene acostumbrados a sus lanzamientos de carácter extremo, nos sorprende con este disco en formato doble y elegante presentación que recoge una completa retrospectiva de este proyecto de Neo Folk procedente de Noruega que es WEH. Se trata del trabajo de Erik E, que se lo ha hecho todo el solito a base principalmente de guitarra acústica y voz, con algunos leves matices de otros instrumentos, por lo que podríamos ver este trabajo más como el de un cantautor que como una banda propiamente dicha. “Origins” es el título de este doble CD que recoge todas las demos grabadas entre 2002 y 2006, así como la versión del “Likbør” de WINDIR y otras nuevas grabaciones. Así que si te gustan los sonidos acústicos, con un aire oscuro y atmósfera pagana, aquí tienes un trabajo que ofrece todo eso.

Aunque en estas grabaciones hay un toque de oscuridad tengo que advertir al oyente que no es algo muy marcado, más bien se trata de una aureola melancólica y solemne que se mezcla con tintes paganos para dar vida a unos temas de cantautor sosegados y hasta cierto punto hermosos. Si no fuese por la monotonía que acaba por apoderarse de este largo trabajo, recordemos que son dos discos en uno con casi dos horas de música, se podría decir que es incluso un trabajo muy agradable de escuchar, con propiedades relajantes y evocadoras gracias a esa guitarra limpia y la voz melancólica. Pero el hecho de que haya tantos temas juntos con una base tan similar acaba resultando un poco tedioso si se intenta escuchar todo de un tirón. Si por el contrario se usa con moderación en momentos en los que el estado de ánimo requiera este tipo de música tan sobria y delicada, entonces puede cambiar la percepción del álbum pasando a resultar genial.

Como conclusión hay que dejar bien claro que no se trata de un trabajo de Metal, ni mucho menos extremo, sino un disco de Neo Folk hecho de forma acústica y sin demasiados ornamentos. También cabe decir que aunque el grueso de las composiciones pertenece a antiguas demos, el sonido es bastante bueno a lo largo de las dos horas y los treinta y seis cortes en las que se dividen.


From www.bloodchamber.de:

Andreas Krause
8 Punkte
Über Neofolk zu schreiben, ist immer eine heikle Angelegenheit: Schnell werden Stimmen wach, die dem wohlmeinenden Rezensenten vorwerfen, sich mit einer angeblichen rechten Ausrichtung einzurichten. Andere beschweren sich über die scheinbar simple Lagerfeuerromantik, die dort verbreitet wird. Und ein großer Teil des Rests hat einfach keine Ahnung, was das genau sein soll. Es gibt eine ganze Menge obskurer Bands und Musiker in dieser Szene, aber WEH waren nun wirklich bislang keine große Nummer. Und allen eifrigen Freunden des Generalverdachts kann man von vornherein sagen: Es finden sich hier keine ästhetischen Bezüge auf irgendeine finstere Vergangenheit, es gibt nichts, weswegen man sich ernsthaft Sorgen machen müsste.

WEH kommen aus Norwegen und bestehen eigentlich nur aus Erik E., der das Projekt im Jahr 2002 gegründet hat, um düstere akustische Musik zu machen. Das hat er auch recht eifrig getan, WEH bringen es seitdem auf sechs Demos unterschiedlicher Länge und einen Beitrag zur Memorial-Compilation für WINDIRs Valfar. Dazu wurden im Jahr 2010 auch noch einige Stücke aufgenommen, die bislang noch nicht anderweitig veröffentlicht wurden. Und all das findet sich auf der Doppel-CD „Origins", die es mit dieser Masse an Material immerhin auf 36 Stück mit einer Gesamtspielzeit von fast zwei Stunden bringt.

Musikalisch wird hier Neofolk der minimalistischsten Sorte geboten. Erik E. spielt Gitarre und singt dazu, weitere Instrumente gibt es nur in Ansätzen. Außergewöhnlich ist allerdings die Art und Weise, wie er mit seiner Stimme umgeht. Zumeist singt er mit einer sehr warmen und melancholischen Stimme, die durchaus zu gefallen weiß. Besonders auf dem älteren Material finden sich aber Elemente, die deutlich an metallische Growls erinnern, was zunächst unheimlich irritierend wirkt und mir in der Form auch noch nicht untergekommen ist. Grundsätzlich ist dies aber eine Eigenheit, in die man sich einhören kann, wobei ich aber alles andere als traurig darüber bin, dass diese Gesangstechnik mit den Jahren offensichtlich herausgewachsen ist.

WEH bieten sehr eingängige und durchweg melancholische Songs, die eine klare und einheitliche Linie verfolgen. In diesem Sinne handelt es sich um Neofolk, bei dem der Folk sehr groß geschrieben wird und der nichts mit der Experimentierfreudigkeit der alten Heroen der World Serpent-Familie zu tun hat. Die Gitarrenarbeit ist auch nicht durchgehend so ausgefeilt wie beispielsweise auf ULVERs Referenzwerk „Kveldssanger", doch ist sie stets songdienlich. So richtig abwechslungsreich sind die 36 Nummern insgesamt wirklich nicht, aber es finden sich immer wieder Momente, die sich bei einem sehr positiven Durchschnittsniveau auch noch positiv abheben, weil sie noch einen Hauch mehr Stimmung verbreiten als andere Stücke. Es finden sich einige kleine Perlen darunter, wie z.B. „Hang 'em High", „World of Pain", „Heathen Ground" oder „Ruin", Ausfälle gibt es in dieser Masse an Material gar nicht. Textlich ist auf jeden Fall hervorzuheben, dass Erik E. hier in die Vollen greift. Von herrlich antichristlichen Hass-Songs über Tod und Verderben bis hin zum Weltuntergang wird alles aufgeboten, was so gar nicht zum ersten klanglichen Eindruck passt. Aber gerade der Kontrast ist einfach toll und effektvoll, zumal man die Vocals sehr gut verstehen kann.

Sollte also jemand für die dunkle Jahreszeit noch ruhige und akustische Musik suchen, um die nächtlichen Stimmungen bis zur Neige auszukosten, sollte er hier mal reinhören, zumal dem Käufer richtig viel fürs sauer Ersparte geboten wird. WEH stellen die Musikwelt nicht auf den Kopf, bereichern sie aber um eine kleine Kostbarkeit, die einfach nur schön zu hören ist.


From Metal Sound:

So far I’ve written almost forty reviews, yet now I find myself stricken with a severe case of writer’s block. Why? Because this release, dubbed Origins, is so good that I’m completely and utterly at loss for words. And it’s not even metal at all! The band is called Weh. Not a real band, per se, but actually a one man show; the virtuoso behind this album is a guy called Erik E. He does all the vocals and plays each and every instrument. Origins is a compilation of all the demo songs (acoustic) recorded by Weh, plus a couple of newer recordings (over thirty songs – nearly two hours of playing time – two CDs). If it’s not metal, what is it then? The music is definitely folk and acoustic, taking a little bit from dark ambient too. Frequently, a subtle gothic feeling will come over you as well. Some would be tempted to pin that misleading label ‘country’ to this music, but I’m strongly against that, as it sends the wrong message to those who have never listened to Weh. Since what we have here is a collection of demo songs plus some newer ones, the topics are many. Some songs deal with dark love, personal loss. Others deal with evil in the world, the end of existence, Armageddon, messages inspired by paganism. This might lead some listeners to believe how there is no cohesion between the songs, but we must always keep in mind that this release is a compilation first and foremost, not a conceptual album! Lyric wise, the songs are quite good, with carefully picked words and topics. It’s not overly simplistic, but not too complex either, so even those with limited knowledge of the English language would have no problem understanding (almost all the songs are in English). The vocal is clean in 99% of the cases, with only a few songs done as a mixture of both clean and extreme vocal (the first two on the CD1, for example). Personally, I found this combo very interesting. The combination is so delicate that the songs in question hardly stand out from all the others where such a union between the two vocals cannot be observed. If you need an example of what kind of music you should expect, remember those acoustic songs Empyrium was famous for, and then add a little bit of melancholy found in HIM’s acoustic songs. There is also one Windir cover on the second CD (the song Likbor). If we compare CD1 to CD2, I would be inclined to say that the second CD bears a prominent pagan mark, while the first is closer to melancholic gothic music. An abundance of great songs are to be found on these two CDs, but I simply have to single out a few. These are (in no particular order): 1) Deadline 2) Darkness Part One 3) Where Evil Hides Intro 4) On your Knees 5) Skeleton 6) North 7) The Road and The Forest, and many many more. In the end, when all is said and done, I would like to add that this is the only album I found worthy to reward with the highest mark possible - ten points! Buy it, borrow it, steal it (maybe not that), conjure it! I don’t care how…This one is definitely a keeper in my book!
Ivan Markovic (10)


From Lunar Hypnosis:

I first became aware of Weh, the solo project of Norwegian musician Erik E. back in 2004 when his acoustic cover version of, 'Likbør' appeared on the Windir compilation, 'Valfar, ein Windir.' I remember being completely blown away by the fact that someone could take a Norwegian black metal song and transform it into something of neo/dark folk song and actually make it work, but Erik didn't just make it work he made it absolutely beautiful.

It was sometime later on that I discovered his website and found that he had all five of his demo recordings available for free download, and within a few hours I was absolutely obsessed with this musicians work. Not to long after that I began to review Erik's work on the old Lunar Hypnosis website and eventually we did an interview (most likely his first) and finally his song, 'And the Bells are Ringing Doom' appeared on the third Lunar Hypnosis mp3 compilation, 'Autumn Calls - Winter Awaits.' My hope is that this little bit of exposure brought Erik's music to a few more peoples ears.

In late 2010 Soulseller Records released a 2CD digipak compilation, which includes all of Erik's early EPs/Demos, 'The Death' from 2002, 'All the Sinners are Sleeping Now' in 2003, 'The Coffee's Cold in the Morning, The Beer's Warm at Night' came next in 2004, 'Hoof & Horn' followed in 2005 and lastly 'North' in 2006. This compilation also has the cover of, 'Likbør' and unreleased track from 2009 called, 'The Seaward Song' and finally a brand new five song EP called, 'Origins.'

Erik’s music while consisting of just one twelve string acoustic guitar, his voice, and light backing synthesizers is beyond gorgeous in its deliver. His music is soft, delicate, emotional acoustic ballads, with excellent vocals, thoughtful lyrics, and stunning guitar work. The music generally carries a dark melancholic feeling, which you can sense so strongly through Erik’s voice and his lyrics. When I listen to this music it makes me remember the first time I heard Current 93 or Sol Invictus, and the emotions I felt, and the compulsive feeling to continually play the songs over and over again even though they made me feel sad.

The first EP, 'The Death' however is a bit somewhat straightforward fast paced singer/songwriter material with fast acoustic guitars, typical songwriter semi-poetic lyrics, cleanly sung vocals and the odd inclusion of some death growls, which indicate his past interest in the metal genre. None of the songs go past the three minute mark and although they are nothing special they do have their own unique charm, which instantly increased my interest in Weh when I first heard them.

'All the Sinners are Sleeping Now' shows a refinement in Erik's style as around this EP the songs began to show their first inclusion of darker themes and feelings as well the songs were played slower, the guitar work is more elaborate (in places) and the death growls are completely gone, though in the grand picture this EP doesn't differ that much from the first one. The following recording, 'The Coffee's Cold in the Morning, The Beer's Warm at Night' finally starts to show where I think Erik began to make major steps towards his current style and although elements from the past remain he managed to write two of my favorite Weh songs, 'When the Raven Spoke my Name' & 'Summer Went South' on this EP.

'Hoof & Horn' was at the time the darkest creation of Erik's and through his own words these three songs were the closest sounding to what he originally set out to do with Weh. Each of these three songs have their own unique qualities, but I really feel the ending song, ‘Ruin’ was one of Erik’s best songs at the time, but man, oh man, it was only a glimpse of what was to come.

‘North’ continues on in the same vein as, ‘Hoof & Horn’ although I feel with North Erik made me a fan for life with these four compositions. Things kick off with, ‘And the Bells are Ringing Doom,’ which I feel is not only Erik’s best song to date, but also his most sorrowful, and I wouldn’t hesitate to say this is one of the best dark folk songs ever composed. Basically everything about this song is perfect; the guitar work is stunning, the keyboards are dark and atmospheric, the singing is beyond excellent and the lyrics are fantastic and catchy as well. ‘North’ and ‘Darkness Part Two’ are up next; North is a rather straightforward slow acoustic ballad, while Darkness Part Two is a bit more upbeat and for some reason or another it reminds me of the German dark folk band Werkraum. This release closes out however with another stunning song called, ‘The Men Of Gallow Proud,’ which has a very nice riff in the song that runs throughout most of the song and a light synth melody in the background. In any case another one of Erik’s finest.

Both the unreleased song, 'The Seaward Song' and the new EP, 'Origins' basically continue where North left off. Once again the songs are slow, dark and beautiful pieces of melancholic acoustic music, which in my opinion make for an unique listening experience. The highlights include, 'The Road and the Forest,' which is utterly astounding in its epic sorrowful delivery and 'Nihil Interit,' wow, it's like hearing, 'And the Bells are Ringing Doom' for the first time with its heartbreaking melodies and singing. Just stunning! Also I must mention, 'En Bekk Av Blod,' which is the first Weh song with Norwegian lyrics, although somehow Erik's voice doesn't seem quite as confident while singing in his native tongue, though it's definitely a pleasing song.

In the end I'm happy to see Weh finally getting some attention as well its a grand thing that these old songs were re-released too. This compilation offers up absolutely everything Weh has released during the past eight years and hopefully with this compilation the full-length debut album is on the horizon. If you downloaded these early EPs in the past couple of years then here's you chance to finally own them in a physical format as well you'll get to hear six new stunning songs as well.
Posted by J.M.


From Voices From The Darkside:

During my long school carrier connected with every kind of outdoor activities nothing had made me more frightened than the moment when somebody with few skills but far more alcohol in his bloodstream started to entertain all party guests with his guitar playing. But in the end these bad experiences did not slow down my interest for convincing emotional music and bands like EMPYRIUM, TENHI or the long forgotten NAERVAER – even if my hair has become short and grey – are still touching something deep inside me. And these feelings are also there if it comes to “Origin” a compilation of all demo material of the Norwegian one man act WEH. The band is maybe not completely unknown to our readers due to their participation in the WINDIR tribute sampler from 2004 – the featured track is also part of this release - but the presented over 30 tracks show the development of this act over the last couple of years. The band started in 2002 and Erik’s aim of presenting emotional music has not changed until today even if the handful of new tracks (on the second CD) show a darker and far more focused project. From the Metal point of view the tracks of the 2005 release “Hoof & Horn” are the most interesting ones with a real dark soul and impressing tracks like ‘Ruin’ and ‘And The Bells Are Ringing Doom’. Such bands and also their more or less brave labels which are trying to reach a wider audience with such a dedicated release are the best proof that no band needs a 6 month studio period to record great music. “Origin” is a fantastic release full of northern melancholy which also works far away from every campfire. For further info check following link: www.soulsellerrecords.com

Matthias Auch

The Death EP

From gamle.musikkavisen.no:

Akkurat da jeg hadde drapert min svarte kappe over corpus rex og sminket meg svart rundt øya, overrasket denne demoen meg stort. Jeg regnet med at jeg hadde deprimerende gotisk rock i vente her, men i stedet varter Weh opp med melankolsk kassegitarpop a'la Nick Cave.

Når jeg vel har kommet meg over sjokket, innser jeg ganske kjapt at dette faktisk er veldig bra. Enkelt og melankolsk, men veldig bra. Favoritten er åpningslåta "Deadline", men de andre fire spora er også gode.

Vi lar denne demoen stå som et bevis på hvor mye man faktisk kan få til med noen kassegitargrep, middels sangstemme og et gryende låtskrivertalent.

Anbefaling: Bestill fra necrophilosophy@hotmail.com NÅ!!!

Tekst - Thomas Hansen


From Sweden Rock Magazine #10:

Erik E heter mannen bakom denna något annorlunda demo. Innehållandes fem spår av likartad karaktär, med endast en akustisk gitarr, tamburin och med sina mörka texter, skapar han lite av en "Death Metal goes unplugged"-känsla. "Lady Death" håller högst kvalité, både ljudmässigt och rent musikaliskt. Här liksom i de övriga spåren ligger styrkan främst i Eriks utmärkta röst, som tillsammans med den ensamma akustiska gitarren, bildar en stark kontrast til onda, gurglande bakgrundspåläggen. Småkul i demoform, men intresset skulle knappast hålla genom en hel skiva.
-Christian Strandell

All The Sinners Are Sleeping Now

From Scream Magazine #86:

Det er mulig Kringen sitter med mer info enn meg om WEH. Jeg vet ingenting om hvor de er fra eller hvem de er selv om jeg har bokstavkombinasjonen assosiert til musikk et sted langt bak i hodet. Demoen vi har heter i hvert fall "All The Sinners Are Sleeping Now" og inneholder sju låter. Låtene er melodiøse, melankolske og gode, og fremføres av en behagelig mannsstemme som helt opplagt forstår seg på velbehagelig og stemningsfull sang. Låtene fremføres ellers på akustisk gitar og avslepen bass. WEH låter rett og slett vakkert og er som hvile for øre og sjel. Ikke akkurat metal, men det gjør ingenting. Jeg gidder ikke engang lete etter argumenter for eller mot om en demo som dette bør omtales i Scream. Jeg bare slår fast at jeg gjør det, og at jeg liker platen. (AJB)

Hoof & Horn

From Scream Magazine #103:

Dette er stort sett akustisk gitar og en naken mannsstemme. Noe bass og keyboards er også brukt. Jeg vet ikke et døyt om WEH mer enn at de er fra Halden/Sarpsborg-distriktet, har laget noen demoer og deltatt på en tributeplate til Windir. Denne demoen er tatt opp i et hjemmestudio og har et veldig bra lydbilde. Låtene er litt dystre, men skikkelig nydelige saker. Det låter stort av dette tresporsproduktet. Selv har jeg utrolig sans for denne demoen. Her burde plateselskapene våkne og gjøre jobben sin. (Anders Oddsberg)


From www.lunar-hypnosis.com:

I first discovered Weh, the solo dark acoustic/neo folk project of Erik E., back in 2004 when his cover of Windir’s ‘Likbør’ appeared on the ‘Valfar, ein Windir’ anthology. To say I loved his cover would be but an understatement as I personally thought it was absolutely beautiful and amazing to hear a black metal song turned into an acoustic piece. Well, as it turns out Weh has been active since 2002, and by the end of 2006 Erik had already released his fifth demo titled ‘North.’ ‘Hoof & Horn’ was released a year earlier and according to Erik these three songs were the closest sounding to what he originally set out to do with Weh.

I really love this type of music because it’s exactly the type of music I’d like to create if I had musical talent. But, that’s actually the least of important reasons why I like this music. Erik’s music while consisting of just one twelve string acoustic guitar, his voice, and light backing synthesizers is beyond gorgeous in its deliver. His music is soft, delicate, emotional acoustic ballads, with excellent vocals, thoughtful lyrics, and stunning guitar work. The music generally carries a dark melancholic feeling, which you can sense so strongly through Erik’s voice and his lyrics. When I listen to this music it makes me remember the first time I heard Current 93 or Sol Invictus, and the emotions I felt, and the compulsive feeling to continually play the songs over and over again even though they made me feel sad. While each of these three songs have their own unique qualities I really feel the ending song ‘Ruin’ is one of Erik’s best songs to date.

Assuming you’re into any sort of dark acoustic or neo folk styled music I utterly urge you to check out this stunning solo artist known as Weh. Everything he’s released is golden and well worth hearing. Do so here: http://www.weh.erikevju.com

January 26, 2007
By JJM
9 of 10


From www.shadowlands-mag.de:

Weh the one man project of Eric Evju is probably a notion to those who have already heard his touchy version of Windirs ”Likbør” from the album Valfar, ein Windir”.
Anyhow his release ”Hoof & Horn” still uses the same type of music: Modern skaldic chant combined with dreamy and melancholic acoustic guitar melodies. ”Heathen Ground” is a very melancholic song that broaches the issue (as the title reveals) of pagan mythologies. Provided with a couple of effects here and there is it a dreamful song to listen. ”The Endlessness” pretty much goes the same style even though the lyrical part might be about a different topic.
My ultimate song from ” Hoof & Horn” is ”Ruin”. It’s last track. I guess I never heard such a ability for wonderful and harmonic melodies like in here. Eric definitely knows how to create a mournful atmosphere which automatically forces tears out of your eyes.
For those who love such kind of quiet acoustic guitar music which waives the experiment of any more effects is Weh a definite must have!
I’m looking forward to what we will get to hear next.

Siglind

http://www.weh.erikevju.com

Rating: 8
addition: 8 of 10 possible points

North

From www.lunar-hypnosis.com:

Released late last year is Weh’s most recent offering ‘North.’ North continues on in the same vein as ‘Hoof & Horn’ although I feel with North Erik has composed four of his very best songs to date.

Things kick off very beautifully with ‘And the Bells are Ringing Doom,’ which I feel is not only Erik’s best song so far, but also his most sorrowful, and I wouldn’t hesitate to say this is one of the best dark folk songs ever composed. Basically everything about this song is perfect; the guitar work is stunning, the keyboards are dark and atmospheric, the singing is beyond excellent, and the lyrics are fantastic and catchy as well. I really truly have never heard such a wonderful song before, and even though it is very sad sounding it is so good and I just simply can’t stop playing it. ‘North’ and ‘Darkness Part Two’ are up next and while they are again great songs they somehow don’t seem to touch me as much as the opening song. North is a rather straightforward slow acoustic ballad, while Darkness Part Two is a bit more upbeat and for some reason or another it reminds me of the German dark folk band Werkraum, though I couldn’t tell you exactly why. This release closes out however with another stunning song called ‘The Men Of Gallow Proud,’ which has a very nice riff in the song that runs throughout most of the song and a light synth melody in the background. In any case another one of Weh’s finest songs so far.

Up to now Erik has published all of his songs online for free download and since this EP is way above average I would strongly suggest checking it out if you have any interest in beautiful dark melancholic folk music.


April 12, 2007
By JJM
10 of 10