MÉMOIRES INCUBUSSIENNES

It's beyond my comprehension why this band couldn't get signed to a record deal back in 1974 considering the four tracks they recorded in France at that time. Back then this Quebec band was known as INCUBUS but when they reformed in 2007 they changed their name to avoid any confusion with a certain American band with the same name. After reforming they re-recorded 4 more tracks that they had initially composed back in the seventies. So we get about 42 minutes of dark Hammond driven music with mellotron and plenty of heaviness. Nice ! When I read Sean Trane's review I knew I would like this, and I not only liked it, it surpassed my expectations.

"Bleatus" is dark with an almost dancing organ line as drums and a full sound come in. Angular guitar 1 1/2 minutes in. It gets pretty intense a minute later then it returns to the previous melody. A vocal melody comes in before 3 1/2 minutes. "Abomination D'Une Quarte De Triton" is such a great sounding song. More of the same really with organ and guitar drenched in darkness. Yes it's heavy, mellotron too. Fantastic ! "Parade De L'Armee de Verre (Au Matin)" kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes. This is ominious and heavy. Check out the mellotron before 4 minutes. "Teeth" is more uptempo with organ and drums leading the way. Mellotron after 2 minutes. Amazing sound !

"Apple Tree Paradise" opens with organ as chunky bass and drums join in. It changes 3 minutes in and English vocals arrive. The guitar after 5 minutes lights it up. "Tales Of The Tree" opens with organ as other sounds come and go. The guitar before 2 minutes is outstanding. "Pendergast" is the longest track at almost 9 minutes. It opens with a haunting mood. Chunky bass with organ and drums before the vocals arrive after 1 1/2 minutes. The tempo picks up after 4 minutes. Nice bass ! I like the organ here too. An eerie calm 6 1/2 minutes in then it kicks back in. "A Child's Funeral" opens with what sounds like church organ as vocals join in. The guitar rips it up after 2 1/2 minutes. A moving track to close the album.

There is a slight difference in sound between the first 4 tracks and the last 4 songs. The earlier ones have mellotron and I would describe them as heavier and darker. The last 4 have no mellotron but the bass is more prominant.The guitar stands out much more as well, plus there is vocals on 3 of the last 4 tunes.They all mesh together very well though. As David says in the bio about this album a "terrific find". I couldn't agree more.