EREMOPHOBIA

Very dark. This keyboard based album shows a classical influence on the first track. Its sad melody reminds to the symphonies of Gustav MAHLER, but if one thinks to have found relaxing music it's wrong. The second track is almost silent for the first half, with the rumors of steps and opening and closing door. The title is "Entree"; not a coincidence, but in the second half dissonant piano chords, bass notes and a keyboard background make it closer to classic contemporary music. This is what RIO is usually about.

Next "Salle Vide" has brass sounds in foreground which make it sound very similar to ART ZOYD. Here it's where drums appear in the album for the first time. Every note seem to be carefully put in the right place, in a crescendo of tension. Later the sounds become more weird, with a sort of growling keyboard adding a horrorific effect to the mixture which ends with three "bumps".

The title track starts again fast and dissonant, but it's just the intro. The trumpet sound (is it a real trumpet?) makes it sound similar to the russian "YOJO", but that russian band is never that dark. The track is consistent. Every piece is placed in the right place, and also when the rhythm accelerates in a sort of crazy ballet it sounds very structured. Nothing sounds improvised, I mean. Another band using similar sounds and structures is the spanish OCTOBER EQUUS. The sudden end is probably the best way to close it.

"Le Ombrage (Retour)" has the effect of a pause: melodic church organ with a classical mood. More sad than weird, but so dark to recall the music of the Italian ZORA and ANTONIUS REX, luckily without speeches.

Now it's a time for a bit of rock. Of course with weird sounds and odd signatures but it's rock. A bit heavy, too. Not for all the track duration, anyway. There's another classically oriented interlude introducing the following rocking part. Not an easy listening, anyway, also because there are sudden changes that bring it back to the dark side. Interesting are the hits on the piano strings which close the track.

The sort of growling keyboard of the second track is used again on "Théâtre mécanique". It's another dark RIO track and again I think to ART ZOYD as possible influencers of this artist from Belarus. It's mainly two different tracks tied together as silence comes after 5 of the 10 minutes and is interrupted by a gong. Call me mad, but this part gives me the sensations of the studio disc of Ummagumma.

Finally, the initial track is reprised but it lasts twice the time and drums, bass, and sax are added to the base, so even if the chords are almost the same, it's completely another track. The melody is cnsistent enough to make it more "listenable", I mean listenable also to those who aren't used to RIO music. It's an excellent closer useful to avoid leaving the listeer with a sense of incompleteness. This track has the purpose of closing the album and couldn't have been placed in any other sequence.

A very solid dark composition. Just bear in mind that one must be used to this genre to fully appreciate it.