One of the great joys of reviewing music for TPA, and previously DPRP, has been discovering music that would almost certainly have passed me by otherwise. Within the comparatively small pond of ‘progressive music’ covered there is a constant stream of familiar sounding releases, accompanied by an ever expanding collection of adjacent subgenres. It is within one of those neighbouring territories that the core of this review resides.
Instrumental guitar music is a art form I have enjoyed immensely for many years and one that has never lost its appeal. There are countless practitioners of the art, spanning decades and encompassing a wide variety of approaches, however it is now time to focus on the album at the heart of this review.
My path to L’eveil’s Wars Of Abstraction, the work of composer, arranger and guitarist Matthew Nichols, was built through a series of fortunate happenstances. Back in 2021 I stumbled across Inheritance, the intriguing album by Canadian ensemble Musk Ox. According to the accompanying notes for this release, Matthew Nichols made the same discovery at around the same time. Captivated by Inheritance, I subsequently explored more music from Musk Ox’s orbit, beginning with cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne’s Worlds Within Live and later Nathanaël Larochette’s absorbing classical guitar album Earth and Sky. It is through Nathanaël Larochette, who also handles the arrangements and production on Wars Of Abstraction, that I eventually arrived at L’eveil’s music.
Wars Of Abstraction comprises four extended pieces, each hovering around the ten minute mark, giving L’eveil ample scope to develop the rich textures and evolving themes that characterise the album. His fingerstyle playing is intricate and nuanced, at times restless and searching, at others warm and reassuring, depending on the mood he wishes to evoke. Delicately voiced arpeggios flow into cascading patterns, while harmonics and subtly accented bass notes create the impression of multiple instruments conversing at once. L’eveil frequently allows notes to ring and overlap, building resonant soundscapes that make full use of the guitar’s natural sustain, yet he is equally adept at introducing percussive attacks and rhythmic flourishes that break the music’s reflective spell. The result is a style that balances technical sophistication with emotional immediacy, never drawing attention to its complexity for its own sake.
The use of open tunings creates an immediate connection with folk traditions, allowing chords to bloom with a rich, sympathetic resonance that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. Combined with his fingerstyle approach, this enables L’eveil to weave melodic lines, chordal movement and rhythmic figures together in a manner that often feels orchestral rather than simply guitar based. Yet some of the music’s other ‘influences’ initially proved difficult to place, however with repeated listens, I began to suspect that L’eveil’s musical palette extends into heavier territory. Certain rhythmic patterns brought Tool to mind, while elsewhere I caught echoes of Opeth’s blend of complexity and atmosphere.
In true progressive fashion, the album is underpinned by a conceptual framework. As L’eveil explained, the inspiration stems from Werner Herzog’s documentary ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’, which explores the discovery of some of the oldest known human paintings, preserved within a cave in France for more than 30,000 years. The project’s name, L’eveil, meaning “awakening”, was inspired by the film. Following that revelation, he spent the better part of a decade writing material, enough for ten albums before finally focusing the ideas into this release.
On a more personal level Matthew also describes Wars Of Abstraction as documenting “a path through the deeply human experience of self-denial and perceived separation to self-discovery and a return to unity“. It is an ambitious premise, but one that feels entirely in keeping with the album’s expansive and contemplative character.
While the album inhabits an acoustic landscape, L’eveil frequently generates tension, hinting at both progressive rock, and metal influences, and whilst the resulting unease is never overtly aggressive, it does lend the music a restless quality, before eventually resolving. Clever stuff indeed and one that merits multiple listening.
The recording is pure, creating the sensation of being embodied within the guitar itself. L’eveil has chosen to allow every subtle detail to remain thus creating remarkable realism: fingernails grazing the strings, the lingering chime of frets and the string glides responding to each movement. Marvellous!
Wars Of Abstraction is wonderfully immersive album.
TRACK LISTING
01. Ascending (9:43)
02. Wars of Abstraction (10:40)
03. Asleep in the Laurel (11:05)
04. Narrows Hill (9:48)
Total Time – 41:27
MUSICIANS
L’eveil – Acoustic Guitar
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: US
Date of Release: 26th June 2026
