WW
With the restoration of Estonia's independence, it seems it took some of the fuel away from the progressive rock scene. The need to make enough money to survive became paramount, and -- sadly -- there are other musical genres and professions that paid more. Plus, the younger generation seemed to be entranced by the horrific BOOM BOOM BOOM of techno and other dodgy dance beats. Many of the old prog projects fell apart or became relatively dormant.
The Tartu-based band WW thus became the torchbearer for the scene in a good part of the 1990s, when the genre was at its weakest. WW was a band of the new generation, preferring a harder edge to their progressive rock than its predecessors -- more Dream Theater and less Yes. WW is very much a 90s band, helping the Estonian prog scene grow and evolve like its counterparts all over the world.
The band started gigging around in the university town, and really came to its current form in 1994. By then the band was comprised of guitarist Raul Aan, the band's founder and one of its key composers, handling much of the work on the sound of the band. He is flanked by Toomas Jõks on keyboards, able to complement the heavy sound of the band with much grace and style. On bass is Elmo Saul, playing an adventurous bass that fits in with the new view of what a bass could do in a prog band. The backbone of the band is well-gigged drummer of the band, Andrus Lillepea, with a flare and adventurous style akin to Mike Portnoy or Neil Peart. Finally, the voice and author of the lyrics is the Hannes Pikkat, a vocalist that embodies the stoicism of Ozzy Osbourne, the thespianism of Peter Gabriel, and the flare of Fish. Together they produce a solid metal-prog much in the style of Dream Theater.
Though the band has gigged frequently, it has not produced much in the way of recorded material. They have done a handful of demos, including "M.O.U.R.N.I.N.G." and "Wanna Know" -- the latter being released on a compilation Progressive DisDURPance Volume Two by the German prog people. The material over the year has evolved well, with the newer material showing a fine edge to their brand of metal-prog. Alongside a catalogue of cover tracks the band continues to delight their growing legion of loyal fans.
One of the make-or-break points of the band is the vocals of Pikkat. Boasting a unique style in voice and stage antics, it's one of these "love it or hate it" styles. Especially live Pikkat has some difficulty keeping in tune on high notes -- which begs the question why the band doesn't write music that fits his vocal range better. He sounds good when he's in range. It's like seeing James LaBrie of Dream Theater screeching like a banshee during concert, far from the refined and listenable version you hear on DT recordings. It's a tough style to perfect, but Pikkat is slowly finding his place in the band's ambitious compositions.
WW still gigs here and there, and everyone is still eagerly awaiting their debut CD. Let's hope this band, which carried the torch of Estonian prog through most of the 1990s, will get their fair shake and have their fine material released for the masses.
