HERESIE

This album is the sole reason why I put off reviewing my Univers Zero collection for such a long time. If there ever was an album that I wound want to review without actually rating it then Heresie would be the one.

The album consists of three compositions where the first side is occupied by a beast known as La Faulx while the second side consists of Jack The Ripper and Vous Le Saurez En Temps Voulu which according to my non-existing French skills should translate roughly to "Find out in due time". What we're dealing with here are the most challenging and attention demanding 50+ minutes that I've, so far, had the privilege of experiencing. It's a rare opportunity that I cherish with great fondness, for every time I undertake this journey it takes me to entirely new places that I never thought one and the same record could ever incorporate.

I've had some completely magnificent experiences, a few entirely inaudible (incoherent) ones where I just wanted to turn off the music and many occasions that fall somewhere in between the two extremes. Although I realize that my experiences have much more to do with me and my mood/energy level/brain activity etc. at the time I decide to undertake this journey, still I can't help but be completely amazed by how different my reaction can be. An insignificant factor like the time of day does wonders for the overall experience and, dare I say, my personal understanding of this album. Even though, by now, I know these compositions almost by heart it all sounds almost new to me for every new revisit. No, I'm not just talking about recognizing certain new elements or sounds. It's almost like I'm listening to new set of compositions even though they all somehow feel vaguely familiar.

Through my experience I've found that the best playing conditions for this album are with headphones on while sitting in complete secluded darkness. All these individual elements plus just enough energy to undertake the journey will really get your brain working on overdrive and I guarantee that you'll be completely freaked out by this experience!

There no reason for me to even try to explain how these three compositions sound since, after each new revisit, I've never really felt the same way about any of them. The overall mood is dark and demanding so avoid Heresie like plague if you feel tired, depressed or are dealing with issues. I have a feeling that this album might be considered lethal for anyone who attempts to undergo this experience under any of these conditions. Although one might wonder how often we people can feel completely carefree and open-minded, but that's only my way of saying that this album is definitely not for everyone. It's certainly the first and last time Univers Zero have ever undertaken this direction on a record since it sounds nothing like any of their other releases.

Heresie is a challenging album for those few of us who can spare an hour of their day to completely indulge themselves into this album. If you're up to the challenge then I recommend it immensely!

**** star songs: La Faulx (25:18) Jack The Ripper (13:29) Vous Le Saurez En Temps Voulu (12:56)