CORPUS

Amazing album!!! This is absolutely THE BEST album I have come across in years. Purely refreshing and original. I seriously can't get enough of the mezmerizing textures, harminic complexity and musical variation in all of the pieces. I highly recommend this album to every music enthusiast! Sincerely, Tony Redding N.Y., New York.

Though I am not a musician, this strikes me as a musician's album, not necessarily because of virtuosity, but because it is very much a heads down exploration of motifs with variations. Now that shouldn't interest me as someone who can barely play a recorder at third grade level, yet I found much to like here.

First there is the cleanliness of the production, without sounding sterile. I have also not heard an album quite like it, even if the vastly inferior Mind Gallery, from the other side of the country, does pop into my head in the lighter moments, and parts seem like an extension to King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man. All the more remarkable is that it is entirely instrumental, but the pieces like "Satanusky", "Corpus II", and "Step Flange", are concise while still sounding epic, the way a 3 page Edgar Allan Poe story might satisfy your craving for the macabre. The use of female "scat" style vocals on several tracks, like "Samba Tapping" and "Freezone", add a sense of fun in contrast to the more plodding pieces, while not sounding out of place or overly clever. The shorter tracks, like "Le druide", "Gavotte en Rondeau" and "Mandoly", are also far from throwaway, painting an abbreviated portrait of strength and beauty.

This is an album that can appeal to a broad spectrum of prog fans, basically to anyone whose tastes extend beyond the most simplistic. I rounded up because of its freshness, which is a major accomplishment in this genre.

How do they fit so much music into such short pieces? It's discoveries like these that keep me coming back to the archives. It doesn't even sound like just a three piece band. On this album they do have guests including a female scat singer for two songs. They don't play major roles, though.

I just picked up their two releases that are available so far. A new one is overdue out for this year, 2007, as I write this. Out of the 72 titles, by other artists, I've added to my collection so far this year they overshadow everything as far as the most impressive music I've heard this year, and I've heard a lot of great stuff, both new and from the past. They've knocked Djam Karet down from the number one spot for my favorite instrumental prog band.

Crisis kicks off the album in high gear. A dark and sort of gallupy piece. A good track for those who like the heavier side of prog. L'Empale, another heavy one, great spooky Mellotron in it. Things mellow out a bit with Corpus, but not too much, acoustic guitar and yet another dense but short composition. Satanusky is this really intense song reminiscent of early '80's King Crimson. Le Druide is just a brief haunting short synth and vocal piece, then it kicks into Samba Tapping, with Nathalie Renault, again, doing some scat vocals, very cool Jazz Rock/Fusion. Gavotte En Rondeau has a nice old classical sound to it. The mood changes entirely again with Step Flange. I think the vocalist is back on this one, but maybe only sampled or no credit given. Not too heavy, but intense. Reminds me of Bruford. With Freezone, we are back to more scat and a really upbeat song. I'm hearing a Flora Purim influence in the vocalist. Interlude, Enoesque and nicely weird. Corpus II, back to another band piece, and another great one at that. I guess the only way to really write about music is to speak in musical notation. Untitiled 5/8, as much as I'd rather not use band comparisons, sounds like Happy the Man: soundtrack to an intense dream. D Double U, another nice Krimsonic piece! Mr. Twitts, high energy track, nice tablas going on. Mandoly wraps it up and is of course named for the mandoly sounding string opening section.

The intensity and complexity of the pieces are what just blow me away. If you love time changes, Talsima doesn't disappoint. The song compositions are well done. You will get into them sooner or later.

Seriously, I think they have a lot to appeal to many here. Roundup time on the rating here.

Canadian superb trio,who's history dates back in 1993 when they were found by multi-instrumentalist Donald Fleurent.After a couple of demo tapes TALISMA broke up to be re-formed at the dawn of the millenium.They were signed by Unicorn Records and released their official debut ''Corpus'' in 2003...an art rock album of high-quality heading straight to demanding listeners.Many and varied are the influences of the band.From KING CRIMSON-like complex guitar work and atmosphere to classical keyboard interludes,from the professional ethnic instrumental parts to cosmic soundtrack-like passages (DJAM KARET come to mind),from heavy fusion-esque guitars surrounded by groovy bass lines (reminding of LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT) to ethereal female vocals and jazzy/ethnic orientations.Not a boring minute in here,''Corpus'' is a release for fans of trully sophisticated music with a variety of sounds,styles and instruments.A stunning debut!

''Corpus'' is a very well achieved album. When you consider that there are only three musicians playing, the result is quite exceptional. Actually, to reach this, each one is playing more than one instrument.

T6he atmosphere is rather intricate, at times heavy and reminds me of the best from Crimson: no less, no more. This album is sliced into short pieces, but this is not too important: the whole sounds very united and consistent.

The hypnotic riffs are extremely well performed and adds a whole bunch of additional Crimson feel. Almost throughout the whole of this album: heavy, dark, powerful, and even mighty. The first moment of tranquillity is the haunting ''Le Druide'': a scary track full of cold beauty. Alas too short (just over one minute).

This album is almost fully instrumental, if you would excuse some vocalized female parts here & there. But this aspect of their work is fine with me as well. At no moment did I feel annoyed nor bored while listening to this very good album (well maybe ''Freezone'' and ''Interlude'' are not on par). I hope for them that they are doing well in their home country, because I hadn't heard of them until recently (on PA of course).

''Talisma'' fully deserves your attention even if the second part of the album is a little weaker (but more accessible). Still, ''D Double U'' is again a very strong composition that reminds some earlier tracks.

IMO, they are much closer to the eclectic genre than X-over. Seven out of ten; upgraded to four stars.

This is the third album from the Canadian instrumental trio, and with an emphasis firmly on all three being lead musicians this is quite an album. One of the most important aspects to their sound is the bass playing of Donald Fleurent who plays a multitude of different basses, often within the same song at the same time (clever chap), so this gives them a very clear tonal colour. But this is not a band that is led by the bass by any means, as there is plenty of extremely solid drumming and very rock solid guitar. Add a few synths here and there for some extra variation, combined with a band that are out to rock, as opposed to just impress and the result is an album that does just that.

Yes, there are obviously heavy elements of prog and to a lesser degree plenty of jazz, but this is a rock album. Each song is quite different to the last, and as none of them stretch over four minutes (and some are less than two) this means that the listener doesn't get frustrated. There is also an extremely interesting bass take on Bach's "Gavotte En Rondeau" (who mentioned Manowar?). Overall an album that has plenty of depth but is also fairly light and is enjoyable throughout. This is an instrumental album to which I will often return.

Originally appeared in Feedback #78, April 2004