SAMSARA

Seven Reich is a French musical project featuring the duo Claude Mignon (keyboards, guitars, compositions) and Gérard Le Dortz (graphics, story, voice and samples) along many guest musicians. This CD is the successor of the album Strinkadenn Ys that was released in 2001, a while ago. Somewhere on Internet I read that Seven Reich intends to make a trilogy, well, I am looking forward to that because Samsara is a very captivating and often compelling blend of ethnic music and progressive rock (with hints from Pink Floyd and Camel) with the emphasis on ethnic. In the huge booklet (20x20 cm) you can read about the story, the lyrics and the wide range of instruments, these are blended in a wonderful way into the 14 compositions. The climates are in general dreamy with a sultry undertone and we can enjoy great female and male vocals in French (Breton), English and Arabian (the North-African Berber language). The songs flow into each other and are all small jewels, so beautiful and warm, from the short opener Encore (melancholical violincello with twanging guitar and a mellow trumpet sound), Soñj (compelling contrast between fragile piano, flute and soaring vocals and bombastic keyboards and propulsive guitar chords) and the breathtaking Ay Adu (Arabian vocals, Scottish bagpipes, a wonderful solo on classical guitar, followed by powerful electric guitar) to Qim Iydi... (a lush sound with piano, violincello, accordeon and moving interplay between piano and howling electric guitar) and A-roak (a slow rhythm featuring organ and a bombastic part with again howling guitar). It was a real treat to listen to all those ethnic instruments, from the Scottish bagpipe and the Celtic harp and tin-whistle to the Arabian udu along the bodhran, duduk, flute traverse and tambour, to name a few!

If you are up to a captivating musical adventure on the borders of folk and prog, I am sure you will be pleased with this wonderful album, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO PROG FOLK FANS!!