LA NATURE VIT, L'HOMME LUI CRITIQUE...

Very much from the melodramatic style of French symphonic prog, Orion did not really offer anything new to the scene, especially given the 1979 release date of the original LP, but this would not have been innovative even in the mid 1970s. Overwrought vocals, cheesy synths, lack of a song development, and a faux-folk sheen are all in evidence here, to the detriment of the occasional inspired passages.

A particularly telling observation is that, apart from the pretty title cut, the best song is the bonus cut "Il faut aimer ou mourir" which was released as a single. It owes more to traditional folklore than the symphonic genre, but does incorporate those influences to produce a singularly powerful song. But the low points are just too many, like the squandered "Le Monde Invisible" which starts well but becomes progressively more irritating, "La Rapace" with its preachy manner and silly hard rock riff, while "le Chevalier", like much here, is highly repetitive and goes nowhere fast.

For collectors of the French 1970s prog scene, but be warned that Orion does not live up to its extraterrestrial name.