K.A (KÖHNTARKÖSZ ANTERIA)

Having practically invented a new genre, Christian Vander's Magma went on a 20 year hiatus back in 1984 after having released some of the most original pieces of music in their early years. K.A. was their triumphant return to the new millennium with an album that sounded fresh and modern without any significant innovations but focusing on retaining their characteristic sound and slowly pushing it forward. Magma's music, while loosely based on jazz rhythm patterns seeks to create a grandiose futuristic atmosphere that can sometimes feel rather cinematic. In order to achieve that they employ a choir of female singers to accompany the mostly baritone male vocals, creating an epic sounding wall of chanting in an incomprehensible yet strangely satisfying language. Their blend of jazz and rock borrows pieces from many other genres like prog and krautrock and incorporates them into a well organized structure, like on the closing track K.A.

The relative ease with which Magma seem to be able to create an epic atmosphere which is both highly energetic and seemingly varied is something that has kept them on the forefront of what avant-garde rock is all about. The twenty year pause did not seem to affect them, since their return shows a band that is very mature and knows exactly what to do, the transition into a new musical age though had been a rather steep one when it comes to their general aesthetic. Without losing their aforementioned epic sound, it seems as though the warmth and straightforwardness of their early material is replaced by a colder much more calculated sound which can be disheartening at times. Regardless of that K.A. is still a strong addition to their lengthy discography and a fine entry point precisely as an effect of that modern sound.

4.0

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