EDHELS

Oh now I understand at last why after their magnum opus, Still Dream, they released their abstract Astro Logical and their ridiculous Universal! They did not go bad, not at all. They just partially returned to their roots. Perhaps it would be wrong to consider The Bursting an instant instrumental prog album like other products by Edhels (except Angel's Promise). What the music really is, may be best described by the Russian word 'naigrysh'. It's very difficult to translate it into English. Dictionaries provide 'folk tune' as the English for 'naigrysh', but in fact it's not necessarily folk and not necessarily a tune (i.e. motif, theme etc). It may be just a spontaneous strumming with no obvious musical structure. Edhel's debut album is in fact one giant electronic prog naigrysh. Sometimes luxuriously negligent, sometimes impudently negligent, occasionally absurd, occasionally innovative, mostly charming. Unfortunately the album's duration is (at least in my personal terms...) excessive, this music hardly earns 53 minutes of a listener's time, it would be better 35-40 minutes long, a good half of the tracks could be shortened with no content loss. But I'd say it would be unserious and irresponsible to consider The Bursting a weak album. It's far from being perfectly done, but more than interesting by design. The musical ideas are rich and very promising. Yes the young, inexperienced and poorly equipped band could not work them out and perform quite well what they conceived. But if someone asks me 'do you want to have this on vinyl?', I would say yes. At least to me, this album would be an excellent addition (sic!) to my collection. Thus, four stars.

In 1987 Edhels performed the track ''Heart door'' for the Musea compilation ''Enchantement'' with an expanded five-piece line-up, featuring second keyboardist Jean-Marc Bastianelli.Although Bastianelli later became a stable member of the band, he did not appear on Edhels' ''Still dream'' album, the first and only work by the band to get parallel vinyl and CD issues by Musea.It was recorded at the Studio Les Mouchettes and released in 1988 with the regular Marc Ceccotti/Suzzoni/Damon/Rosati core.

This was another attempt by Edhels to combine different influences in a period amalgam, they sound like if CAMEL and KING CRIMSON shared some common members, but imagine all these elements created under an 80's production.In fact there is a certain feeling of confusion listening to this album, because Ceccotti's and Suzzoni's plays seem somewhat torn between jazzy and more melodic sources of inspiration, while Jacky Rosati seems undetermined on whether to use his keyboards in an orchestral or more quirky, Fusion-flavored way.The result has its own charm and ''Still dream'' sounds like a collection of pieces by two different bands, there are certain cuts with impressive electric solos and some acoustic pinches with PINK FLOYD and GENESIS influences, while the rest are in a jazzier/Fusion vein with a bit of HAPPY THE MAN/ALLAN HOLDSWORTH vibes, featuring nice instrumental breaks and shifting moods with semi-Classical piano and tricky work on guitars and keys, although performed in a much lighter style.''Still dream'' still suffers from the acoustics of the time, especially the drumming sounds very sterile, while there are a couple of minimalistic textures to be found in here (I hear some evident New Age-like echoes during these pieces), but the music is fine and executed with accuracy.

Not an album to like if you get sick about everything related to the 80's.But these guys definitely deserve some praise for keeping the Prog flame alive, especially after delivering material so close to Camel and King Crimson.Recommended with the above noted restrictions.

The only known Prog band from Monaco was found in 1981 by its leader Marc Ceccotti.Ceccotti was previously involved in several local bands, after having studied at the Monaco Academy of Music.He set up the band along with classmate Jean-Louis Suzzoni on guitars and Noel Damon on keyboards and percussion.The same year the Monegasques recorded the demo ''The bursting'' along with guest musicians Jacky Rosati, Philippe Peratonnere (both on keyboards) and Sandrine Brisson on violin.It became commercially available several years later, when the band kept solding it as a CD-R via its website.

Being original is a good thing, but it can also lead to stylistical confusions and that was the case with Edhels' early recordings.The band produced six pieces of synth-drenched soundscapes with a deep guitar background, which shifted between acoustic and electric parts, but inexperience and lack of professional equipment led to below average material.Extremely poor programmed drums (propably coming out of some sort of Casio technology) and thin electronic movements resulted a flat, cold sound with limited emotional content and total lack of coherence between one piece's variations.Propably they attempted to go for a combination of Electronic Music with symphonic overtones and guitar-based Instrumental Rock with occasional dark perceptions, created through the sinister, muddy and laid-back guitar solos and a dramatic approach on keyboards, but the weak sound quality left much to be desired.The short ''L'Etrange quete'' sounds a bit more consistent with Fusion-like guitar solos over eerie synthesizers and developing sound effects, quite similar to TIEMKO, while the following ''Edhels (symphonie no.1)'' and ''Maleak (symphonie no.2)'' contain hints of old GENESIS and intense keyboards ala ALPHA III, even flirting with Neo Prog but with a more sterile approach and pronounced electronic sounds and effects, the quality of the recordings though is below the acceptable levels.

Propably Edhels were too young to offer such serious musical experiments.Dark yet smooth Electronic-Fusion with some decent moves, but overall very incosistent and pale.For fans of the band or maybe TIEMKO and similar groups.

The last album of the 20th century from the Monaco-based Edhels took the liabilities of their flawed 1991 "Astro Logical" album and turned them into virtues. The band's icy digital sound hadn't thawed in the previous six years, but this time they used it to their advantage, as heard in the potent opening rhythms of the album's kickoff track, "The Lord of the Fire". And the writing was more sensitive to instrumental color and melody, recalling the band's popular "Still Dream" album, recorded a full decade earlier but even now a career peak.

The addition of vocals is a bit of a shock, however. The instrumental music of Edhels was never geared toward actual songs, but the singing here is at least weird enough to add a not-unwelcome sense of cognitive dissonance. Check out the mock-heroic "Guinevre's Regrets", in which Arthur's queen delivers a backhand slap across the face of courtly chivalry: "Instead of cutting off dragons heads / You should have cut off your own / Bloody Lancelot of Camelot / Rot in hell, forever..." Take that, Thomas Mallory!

The oddball song interludes (all of them odd-numbered tracks, by the way) make a half-hearted effort to swim into mainstream waters, but the riptides of Marc Ceccotti's compositional eclecticism are a little too strong. From the lush Neo-Prog bombast of "On the Borderline of Sleep" to the idiosyncrasies of "Gentle But Not Giant" (take that too, Derek Shulman!), this is a collection of music dodging all over the Prog Rock map.

It might have been more effective as an unplugged effort, as suggested by the delicate acoustic guitar of "Life, Life". And with a total running-time of 70-minutes, be prepared to accept a little padding. Tighter editing might have revealed the four-star gem hidden somewhere inside it, but as it stands the album marked a welcome retreat toward a less clinical, more accessible style.

Marc Ceccotti's Monaco-Prog quartet release its fourth studio album in 1991, with a cheesy title, a tired concept, and some laughably tacky cover art (the pseudoscientific hokum of astrology really isn't all that sexy). After the disillusions that followed the supposed dawning of the Age of Aquarius, did an album of instrumental zodiac portraits make any sense? And if not, could it at least be salvaged by the music itself? The answer to both questions is: almost, but not entirely.

The album was released a mere three years after the band's popular 'Still Dream'. But even with the same line-up a lot had changed since 1988. Gone were the melodic Neo-Prog nods to classic '70s role models, replaced by a cold electronic soundstage more in step with the antiseptic early 1990's. However it all might have begun, the music in its finished form was digitized to a not-very flattering degree: cybernetic might be a better description.

A flesh-and-blood percussionist is credited, but he likely had to be plugged into his drum kit and re-programmed before every session. Even the guitarists (two of them, including Ceccotti) sound computerized. On the other hand, any musician who models his technique (and his tuning) after Robert Fripp or Alan Holdsworth deserves our applause, and the performances are often brilliant, even at their most mechanical.

The music too, beyond its impersonal cosmetic design, is never less than challenging. But the episodic framework, often within each song, keeps the listener at arm's length, never allowing even a casual brush of human contact. The album would have been far more involving with a little more organic warmth, but clearly that wasn't in the stars.

Appreciate it as a noble experiment: Progressive Rock by way of Isaac Asimov, or William Gibson. But don't expect too many repeat plays.

Third album of this discrete band coming from a small country is better in any way then the previous album. Released in 1988 under the name of Still dream, this time Edhels make a more complex, uptempo and with much better arrangements, but with all that not really something special. The keybords are very lush, smooth , again Marc Ceccoti did a good job, but as I said before the music of Edhels suffers in great arrangements, it's not enough to have good musicians who can handle the instrument , must be some shining moments, at last here and there. This album has it's moments for sure, the arrangements are better though, they play a kind of neo prog not far from late '70's german albums like Tibet, what done Novalis in that times, Machiavel in some parts, even Camel or Mike Oldfield, more the melodic side of neo with lush keybords and melodic guitar elements, some elements have that new age touch tipycal for that period. The music is accesible most of the time, not a prog rock listner will not be afaraid to take alisten, but for sure not many will be pleased what they will here. Edhels is not a very popular band here aswell like on other sites, maybe because some of their albums are not on every corner, but aswell their music is nothing realy impressive, at least these two albums reviewed by me is nothing extraodrinary. The highlits are for sure Heart Door and Butterfly child, good pieces whre is shown the talent of Ceccoti, the rest are only ok, but good. So, a 3 star album to me, better in any way over Oriental christmas, but nothing close to a masterpiece or alike.

Edhels is a progressiverock band from Monaco formed in early '80's by guitar player Marc Ceccotti. They beggin their career wanted to keep the prog flame alive in those dark years of prog, mid '80's. They succeded with this second album named Oriental christmas??, not realy. The album to my ears is to dull, to mellow, with a little great moments. Sometimes sounds like a cross between instrumental genesis but far less complex, Rousseau and some spacy moments ala Novalis, but the entire result is not great, realy. I had hard time listning to this album more then two times, in some moments I've almost got asleep. What bothers me is that the album, with the exception opening track , the best from here is not varied and the '80's keybords sound is all over, to mediocre to be a real intrest for progressive rock fans. The guitar lines are ok , Marc Ceccotti realy have some good moments here, but the songwritting is almost mediocre at best here. I'll be short, the album gets from me 2 stars, maybe 2.5 but no more then that for sure. One of the most unintristing albums from mid '80's from this scene for sure.

There is one style of music (or better: prog) that will always appeal to me and is in fact my number one preference: the instrumental, melodic style preferably in the neo vein. And actually here we have a perfect example of that. This release by Edhels from the late eighties (!!) is just about how I like it most.

This is such elaborate music, very accessible, dreamy at times (the title is well chosen !) and simply captivating especially if you are in the right mood for it. Well, I'm in the mood for this most of the time except for those moments I want my music fierce and energetic. Because that's what this is NOT. It's extremely lush yet restrained and also laid back, very delicate also.

Describing each song is useless, it's the style what it's about here. I regret I have only found this album by Edhels, it's one of those bands that are pretty hard to find. But I'll keep searching if only out of curiosity what the other albums sound like. If it's the same as this one, I will buy them right away. Four stars without hesitation and recommended for fans of laid back, extremely melodic music.

On 'Still Dream "here we are in the best of the group, nothing to do with the catastrophic" Astro-logical. "Here we are closer to the sumptuous" Oriental Christmas ", the first two titles are not excessively but achievable. third title "Boarding Pass" is a beautiful title, Guitar Hero beautiful, clean and beautiful. "Fee Winter" is a title very acoustic but very short and not annoying. The famous 'September Dawn' is here, here, the style of Best edhel is in his best side, the sound "edhel" in fact we do not think of everything King Crimson for example, a headline in any way the class. "Gael & Selena" does not drift into the shallows is a very cool way around the keyboard. "Christie Feline Girls" shows bad signs bad "edhel 'alas it will eventually become, but the title still hold the road." Still dream "air starts very simple and relaxing." Anibal "s Trip" Foley then offers an organ sound and guitar attack from the outset, standing out still other securities of the group, even the guitar solo as the final s'indentifie edhel and not another group. "At the edge of the sun reveals the sun do not come, but the charm of edhel 'is entered him. The last 2 tracks are not more famous, it seems to fill, but the last title short acoustic is fun just to finish ending on

Here we are far from the great 'Oriental Christmas' the synth sounds are very dated and a strange taste for progressive rock. Fortunately, the guitar is level on "The Lord of the Fire." "Tension" is a title well done, very soft in the tradition of the best 'edhel. On "Iq 27" can be heard singing "edhel" To my great surprise, the song is really disappointing, singing in English to a group of Monaco, which makes it an accent really intolerable. The title 'Angel's Promise' is a beautiful title. "Guinevre's Regret" is a title very badly orchestrated, bad singing, bad sound, very disappointing, regret it so sacred. "Noah's Ark" is a title rather painful ... The next "On the borderland of sleep is also a wolf." Lights being Messages "is somehow the best of the group if one compares the other tracks on the album." Tales of Mr. K "is still sung, and c It is a disappointment once again uen. "Life, Life 'n dansu different kind, air, acoustic, closer to nature sounds." Gentle Giant but not "as unpleasant. The group nevertheless managed to raise the bar against the previous album which was a disaster 'Astro-Logical ". "And to think that I loved you so much" is a very good title to what the group is still. "Visions and meetings" thus closing the album on a good note.