K.A (KÖHNTARKÖSZ ANTERIA)

4,5 stars really!! K.A. is Kohntarkkosz Anteria.

Well there was an album I have been waiting for a while!! I gather that this is the first Magma all-original studio album since the 70's. I always fear for the results of such a prolonged group absence (Vander and other musicians here have had a quite extensive solo carreer) but those fears were quickly dis-pelled as the first notes of music reached my ears. The first two movements were written back in the 70's but had not found grace to Vander's eyes (and ears) to go on vinyl at the time. Only the third movement is relly new stuff.

I had heard this full track in concert last fall, and it sounded great but I was wondering how that would translate on studio record with modern technology. Actually , except for the pleasant 70's sounds , there are precious few real surprises here as the sound of this album is very close to what they did on vinyl some almost 30 years ago! You could swear that this was recorded in the same era. Outside Christian and Stella Vander, you might get some joy knowing that Bernard and Himiko Paganotti are related to the former Kobaian bassist and that this album is very related with Kohntarkosz. The third movement does start off (the first 9 minutes or so) in a unusual Magma fashion being more standard progressive. Quite unheard of and maybe a hint for future releases. The use of the flute is also unusual.

Magma is back and in prime form (they even credited some dog for this record) but on the downside of things and aside from an odd french line and some Maghreb yoddling (female youyous), there is not that much new under the Kobaian Sun.

If you are a fan, this is a must. If not , then investigate the classic 70's albums, first before this one. Guess on which side I am.

4.5 stars at least - because if we give this 5 stars then MDK and Kohntarkosz will need 6 stars each.

This is the Magma album that fans have waited almost 30 years to hear, and it's easily on a par with the best of their mid 70s work. Fragments of this work have been heard before on Inedits, and the closing 'Alleluia' chorus can be heard on the early version of Kohntarkosz on BBC Londres 1974, but this is the first time the whole work has been presented (or finished, for that matter). In the rather convoluted sequence of Magma's Kobaian epic, this piece would come after Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh and acts as a sort of prequel to Kohntarkosz. Most of the album is closer to the Carl Orff stylings of Wurdah Itah and Mekanik Kommandoh than to the more instrumentally based Kohntarkosz or 1001 Degrees Centigrade, with Vander's trademark vocal arrangements sounding lovelier than ever. The new band are also true to the Zeuhl spirit, especially guitarist James MacGaw, whose clean tone and economical but melodic guitar lines recall the work of Claude Olmos in the '73/'74 line up.

Parts 1 and 2 are light and melodic pieces featuring dazzling interplay between piano, guitar and vocals, all underpinned by Vander's metronomically precise drums and some nicely judged bass from Philippe Bussonet. Part 3 opens with a lengthy instrumental passage (sounds like a synth but it was probably intended for flute or sax) which demonstrates the jazzier side of Vander's muse - it's surely no accident that a photo of John Coltrane is visible in the background of the snapshots of the band. Part 3 then builds to the kind of climax familiar from other Magma epics, culminating in what sounds like a distant cousin of the Hallelujah chorus.

This is also the best sounding of Magma's studio albums - modern recording techniques mean that every element of the complex arrangements is crystal clear, but thankfully the dodgy production values which spoiled albums like Merci have been abandoned in favour of a more natural sound.

As Hugues Chantraine said, newcomers would be better off starting with one of the classic 70s albums. If you're already a Zeuhl head, this album is essential.

I have had the pleasure of spending 2 weeks with this cd while on vacation in Florida recently. As I write this review it is the highest rated MAGMA studio album on this site, and while that does surprise me there's no denying that this is an excellent record. There are 5 vocalists including Stella & Christian Vander, 2 keyboardists, MacGaw on lead guitar and Bussonnet on bass.

"K.A I" is led by multi-vocals and keys for the first minute then bass and drums join in followed by guitar. This song gets pretty intense vocally.Guitar returns 8 1/2 minutes in. Amazing track. "K.A II" opens with dramatic vocals and the song kicks in at 1 1/2 minutes. The female vocals are fantastic. It calms down after 4 minutes then the guitar comes in soloing. On a MAGMA RECORD ? Yes it does. The tempo continues to shift and change as it picks up after 6 minutes. I like the male and female vocal interplay. More guitar after 7 minutes as it comes and goes. Another calm 9 minutes in. More guitar after 11 1/2 minutes as vocals and intensity rise and fall for the next 3 minutes.Incredible tune. Each track gets longer and for me better.

"K.A III" opens with 9 minutes of pure bliss for me. My favourite section of the album. This is subdued yet jazzy, and I love the bass lines as keys play along. Female vocals join in on this melody 3 minutes in. Vander is so precise on the drums throughout this section. Amazing drum work. I just love the vibe, the mood of this passage. Unfortunately it does have to end. It changes 9 minutes in as eventually the guitar and bass shine as Vander pounds away. There is a great vocal / bass / drum section 13 minutes in. Bussonnett is a monster here for the first time reminding me of Mr.Top briefly. Christian takes the lead on vocals and guitar joins him. It starts to become intense again both vocally and instrumentally with a lot of hallelujahs shouted out. It finally calms down 19 1/2 minutes in as the bass lines with drums and hallelujahs continue.

Sure the majority of this record was composed back in the seventies, but this is one of the great comeback stories in music. This is essential for Zeuhl and MAGMA fans.

My first Zeuhl album. I suppose that it's important facts, because of weirdness (in neutral sense) of this genre, whole new genre (trying to be completely different). And even I used "not from this world" phrase in past, now it's literally meant to be. I have to tell that I was quite afraid of this. I expected something I will not understand and not like also.

But overall result surprised me. It's pleasant (Ray Bradbury's Martians? Also something alien?), even I understand just few basic facts about this completely new culture. For example this tracklist. Ascending from 11-16-21 minutes, almost unnoticeable, but it's here. And perfect mastering of chorals (which sounds like something you wouldn't expect in prog - hello, the name is Zeuhl). Language is its own chapter. No, I don't understand, but same thing with German/French, so it means nothing, except here it's more pleasant (than these hard languages, Italian for example is nice language for my ears). And you also know that this is alien language. Jazz elements are of course here, but just as support, not main thing. Describing this music is extremely hard (even I though same thing about other bands in past, but as time went bye, I pushed my limits), but as something different for open- minded man, it's pure progress.

But I don't dare to rate it with more stars

K.A. is the first album I have heard from Magma. I've been often curious about this unique band and I felt like starting with their highly-praised modern album which I believed would sport top-notch sound production and a more accessible sound. While the album may be too unconventional for me, it appears to be exactly what the band wanted to produce and I think they really succeeded. The songwriting is simply fabulous, with different layers of sound interacting with each other naturally. The sense of dynamics is seems to have been carefully laid out, despite me not being a huge fan of the heavier vocal-led passages. Last but not least, the musicianship is very strong. Vander (drummer) is easily the highlight for me and would make even the most impressive jazz musicians proud.

In short, K.A. is an unusual mixture of jazz-fusion, intense classical music (Wagner comes to mind) and opera sung in a made-up language. In order to appreciate the artistic merit of this seemingly quirky record, you need to look at the theme. Magma created a concept of an extraterrestrial civilization throughout their discography. While the idea of writing alien songs and anthems might seem a pretentious, it works. The musical passages evoke a wide variety of moods and you need to let your mind visualize images and scenes brought by the music. Largely, this album seems to focus on prideful, joyous, and possibly spiritual anthems with a sense of community, as implied with the emphasis on vocal harmonies. Despite the music involving an alien civilization, the sound tends to be relatively acoustic and free of futuristic and electronic sounds. The leading instruments are the voice, piano, and bass&drums.

While the album is generally consistent in quality, there are moments that sound out to me, whether in a positive or negative way. The beginning of K.A. I is very memorable, with an oddly timed repetitive vocal theme being joined by the impressive rhythm section of Vander&Bussonnet. The first song is very coherent while displaying numerous musical themes, with the joyous vocal harmony around minute 6 being especially noteworthy. K.A. II also has its share of impressive passages. Minute 5 has the only guitar solo in the album, but rather than stealing the show, it plays tastefully in the background while the drums&vocals build in intensity. My only problem with K.A. II is the rather quirky vocal line that sounds something like "Beep! Beep! Pa Pa Ze Toh!". However, it is redeemed by the gorgeous mellow sections in the second half of this piece.

While you think they can't top the gorgeous second half of K.A. II, you're wrong. The first nine minutes of K.A. III involve a truly spectacular jazz-fusion jam that seamlessly builds into the most emotionally powerful vocal refrains of the album. This jazzy section features the keyboardist playing the fender rhodes electric piano and an analogue minimoog synthesizer. However, while the keyboardist takes an important role here, this section works so well thanks to the whole band, vocals included. While the drummer is consistently excellent throughout the album, he particularly shines here. He is the one who holds everything together and does it flawlessly. The next sections show a bit of anxiety and excitement and is faster-paced. Military-like drumming makes a presence before the climax. Unfortunately, the climax is my least favorite part of the album, due to it being too speedy and repetitive for my liking. It involves everybody proudly chanting a line that sounds similar to "hallelujah" phonetically.

After the release of "Köhntarkösz" I started to loose interest in MAGMA, they seemed to loose that lunatic freshness and started to sound as part of the machinery, what surprised us in their first albums, became boring and predictable.

So I stopped buying more of their albums, but reading the reviews in Prog Archives (due to a mention of my friend Atkingani) decided to give "K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria)" a chance, and I don't regret this decision, even when I bought the album a few days ago, I feel in capacity of reviewing it, because I have listened it several times with extreme attention, and believe me "K.A" is in the level of the best MAGMA albums, only that sounds better because of the technology used.

Sometimes a band has to recognize that their early works are their best, and even when some people believe they should keep evolving, is better to return to the roots and produce great material rather than keep experimenting and loose coherence with each album. This is what MAGMA does in "K.A" (well, not properly a return, because "K.A I" and "K.A II" are previously unreleased material from 1974 -if I'm not wrong-), they return to the roots and release an excellent album that sounds as fresh as "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" or "Köhntarkösz" did on their time, as a fact sounds as a long time delayed sequel of second mentioned album.

"K.A I" opens the album with strength and originality from the first instant, "Christian Vander" sounds better than ever and the chorus with male and female voices is amazing. Even when it may sound a bit repetitive, the originality of the concept and the magnificent piano performance by "Emmanuel Borghi" it doesn't bore for a single second.

The song gives no rest to the listener, they use each and every free second and cover it with music, no silent spaces, as if they didn't required to breathe. The changes are not as violent as we are used in Progressive Rock, they are gradual, but more radical than the listener can imagine. Even the habitual lunatic touches as rings, whistles and wheezing sound absolutely coherent and perfect in the context of the track.

The instrumental passages give a bit of relief after the madness, and the balance required, this is Zeuhl at it's best.

"K.A II" starts dramatic and epic, with the excess of pomp and brightness that I love so much, maybe the casual listener will find it too excessive, but the clear "Karl Orff" reminiscences are simply delightful.

Even though is as frenetic as "K.SA I" in some moments, MAGMA adds several calmed and soft passages with jazzy atmospheres and beautiful melodies, but never loosing their typical horror to silent spaces.

The blending of male and female voices is as tasteful as it can be reminding of WAGNER'S operas, not a single weak moment, the arrangements are perfect from start to end, another outstanding track.

For what I know, "K.A III" is the only really new material ("K.A I and K.A II" were written in the early 70's but never used by the band), and the difference is clear, unlike the previous songs, MAGMA starts with an instrumental section, in which they seem to jam creating a Psychedelic atmosphere only interrupted by the feminine howling chorus that provides a mysterious edge, somehow it's basic and tribal but full of beauty and imagination, but this is the longest track in the album (21:43) and we should expect some surprises.

Around the eight minute and after a vibrant transitional passage, the usual weird vocals start, they move from celestial chorus to more tribal explosions, the contrapuntal encounter between male and female voices create a violent atmosphere and Vander helps to create this controlled cacophony with the strong percussion, this guys haven't lost the touch, the music is as strong as 30 years ago.

As the time passes, the vocals become more and more aggressive, the dissonant singing is the general rule, simply delightful and brilliant specially with the unusual and frantic Hallelujah chorus that has nothing in common with Handel's. A great song from start to end.

Despite I have reviewed more than 300 albums in Prog Archives, few times I had so little problems in rating an album, in the 70's or in 2004 , "K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria)" deserves 5 solid stars without ay doubt, not a problem is other albums are more solid, I rate the releases individually and this one deserves full rating.

KA came as a huge surprise to me. A couple of excellent live release and that one album not withstanding, Magma hadn't released anything since 1978. That is 26 years!

Apparently, 26 years must be nothing on Kobaia as the music on KA is exactly what you can expect from vintage Magma. As if time stood still. Yes it doesn't offer any change to the sound of their golden years but I don't think that is the point of this release. It's also not what I expect from an artist this late in their career. I'm perfectly happy to see that the groundbreaking innovation of yore has been reaffirmed and that the band shows a solid musical maturity.

The album mainly consists of material written in 74 that was not deemed good enough for release by Vander back then. Some of it can be heard on the premature version of Köhntarkösz on the Live in London release. Rumour goes that parts I & II consist of old material and that part III is new. If you heard the Live in London, you'll know that also much of part III re-uses old material.

Despite all this reworking, the band sounds inspired and enthusiastic, and again their music grabs me right from the start till the end. Simply marvellous how they build up the tension and hypnotize me with their primal energy and those tribal rhythms. Part III contains some spacey improvisations that we haven't heard much from Magma, it makes for a nice interlude that is more accessible then their usual density.

Just like E-Re, this album largely consists of earlier released material. But unless you're a collector, chances are quite low you will have heard any of it. It makes KA an essential purchase for Magma fans and a recommended one to any one else.

How's this for a surprise story; Magma returns after a near 20-year dormancy period, and they produce a contender for the best Zeuhl experience ever. It gets even more incredible if you were a Magma fan before hearing the album (as I was) and discovering that K.A. has so much in common with the 70's Magma works, it's as if they never took a break.

K.A. is short for Kohntarkosz Anteria, and the music has a strong connection to the '74 classic Kohntarkosz. The organic nature of the compositions in Kohntarkosz is mixed here with the strong choir work that made MDK a Zeuhl classic. In essence, K.A. sounds like the halfway point between MDK and Kohntarkosz, so any classic Magma fan would not be disappointed with this release.

Part 1 has the most in common MDK with it's many different choir-led themes in the first five- odd minutes, great enough to be considered a modern Zeuhl classic. The second half is more embryonic and heavy (for a bit) then soft. Part 2 chiefly revolves around one operatic figure but goes through several morphs and configurations that could only be described as Zeuhl. Part 3 begins with spooky, spacey synth thingys gradually building in intensity until we get the scary apocalyptic type of music only Magma could deliver; the kind that subversively scares you.

MDK will always be THE classic Magma album. But with the way the album is structured, how it morphs and shapes throughout and how powerful the compositions sound, this is already worthy of ''classic Magma'' status despite not yet being ten years old (at the time of writing). It's what we all want out of a Zeuhl album.

Not many were expecting a new Magma album in the 2000s. K.A. turned out to be not only one of the band's most consistent efforts, but the best sounding up to this point as well. The first two parts were composed in the 1970s; this was supposed to follow MDK but come before Kohntarkosz. In fact K.A is short for Kohntarkosz Anteria. Christian and Stella Vander are the only members from the '70s here.

"K.A. I" starts off jazzy. Things get more interesting after 5 minutes. The vocalists are chanting "Kohntarkosz". Some nice Fender Rhodes near the end. "K.A. II" starts with the beginning part of "Kohntarkosz Part 1". After about a minute there is an upbeat and joyous sounding section. Great vocals in this part. This section comes back later. You rarely ever heard Magma so happy sounding. The very end of this track reminds me of Univers Zero.

"K.A. III" was a new piece written for this album. It begins with a piano chord and cymbals. It then goes into a part with guitar playing similar to what David Gilmour does on The Wall; also the same kind of playing you hear in songs like "Edge Of Seventeen" or "Eye Of The Tiger". There probably is a term for that kind of sound, but if you know the songs I mentioned then you know what I'm talking about. With that guitar there is a mini-solo on synthesizer. Christian does some great drumming in this part. Later there is a real synth solo. Before 14 minutes there is a really good section. I like the female vocals here. Near the end you hear what sounds like "Hallelujah" repeated. It's actually "Alleluia".

The bass is not as prominent as on other Magma albums. Both the male and female vocals are well done. The Rhodes and synth playing are very '70s sounding, even on the more recent part three. This would actually make a good introduction to Magma. Even though the lyrics are in Kobaian, the singing sounds like it's done in an actual Earth language. One of the best prog releases of the 2000s. 4 stars.

Magma - K.A (Kohntark Antenna) (2004)

This is the very promising comeback album of Zuehl and Avant-garde prog legend Magma, headed by composer/drummer Christian Vander. This concept album is the latest release of the Konterkosz triologie, but it's actually the opening momevent (with Konterkosz as a second and the 2009 release E-Re as the third piece).

When it comes to sound this album reminds me most of the Wurdah Itah album of 1975. The piano plays a central role, the arangments aren't too bombastic (no wind-section, relatively small vocal arrangements) and there's plenty of space for break-through rhythmical composition and adventerious atmospheres. The bass-guitar s distorted and the drums highly fanatic, just perfect. Magma is clearly recognisable, but it doesn't repeat it's old methods. There is more use of the guitar, the opening section of K.A III shows Magma playing a modern interpretation of fusion and some parts have atmospheres the band didn't play before.

Besides that, the album is also a rather positive sounding Magma record. From the three parts (K.A. I, II & III) of this 49 minute piece both K.A. I and K.A II sound rather encouraging and sympathetic, with some darker intermezzo's we wouldn't want to be without ofcourse. K.A III has many faces. The opening section evokes a feeling as if you were in some jungle, but when the great rhythm section starts (in a very odd time-signature) it becomes a slight dark, moody, repetitive but strong effort. I'm not too happy with the long digital moog solo, but the vocal arrangements on the end of this opening section are a real treat. The middle- section of K.A III is again a fairly positive and adventerious one, if rearranged it could almost fit in with 'normal' progressive rock. The long ending section (with the long Hallelujah secton) is a bit dissapointing for me. The instrumental parts are good enough for me, but when the continues Hallelujah vocals come in I loose interest. It's a pitty the very ending of this till then perfect album doesn't work for me.

Conclusion. I couldn't think of a band more welcome to join our 21th century progressive rock genre then Magma. Most come-backs are about finding balance between maturity and accepting bands can't always play as good as they did in the seventies. But not for ths band. Magma has become even better and their live performances are still perfect in every aspect today. This album proves that old material lying on shelves can be reproduced and finished and that the result is perhaps the best album of 2004 (though some might have difficulties with the Zeuhl genre). Four and a halve stars for this one.

I really want to know what they're saying

If I could have my pick of the oddest genre of music available today, my pick would certainly be Zeuhl. A mixture of jazz fusion and opera and a host of other otherworldly music genres, Zeuhl is no run-of-the-mill music. Magma, the French band that singlehandedly created the style, also created their own language to sing their "lyrics" in, Kobaian. On every album, a host of operatic singers whip out wooping and warbling melodies attached to this peculiar language. K.A., short for Kohntarkosz Anteria, shows no variation from this crazy style. Filled with great harmonies and melodies and jazzy piano and rhythmic work, the album is really fantastic. In the concept of one fifty minute long track, it flows beautifully, creating a massive and grandiose soundscape for pure aural pleasure.

To start off, let me first express the level of difficult in reviewing music such as this. I'm still what one might call a Zeuhl "noob", with little experience other than this album and one of two others, so decrypting the complexity of such music proves? well? difficult. KA 1 starts off with a rocking operatic jazz fusion piece, with some fantastic rhythms by Christian Vander and some melodic hooting from the various vocalists (of course I would comment on the concept if I had any idea of what they were saying). The part whips in an out of rocking Zeuhlian rock beats and jazzy breakdowns and melancholy sections, all crescendoing into the climax: a tongue-rolling, buzzing, soaring section of great avant-garde mastery, and a fantastic conclusion to this section of the track.

KA 2 stars off much slower than I, with a more drawn out feel. The track very slowly builds, with that constant quiet underbeat. Eventually it begins to break into the main theme of the track, with various jazzy breakdowns along the way. The guitar work on this track is nice and Oldfield-esque, with mellow folky solos and minimal, quiet use. The rhythmic backings are again superb, with Vander's unique drumming style being used to its fullest extent. The whole part has numerous part changes and dynamics, adding to the overall ambience of this great track.

KA 3 is by far my favorite of the three, and also the longest and most grandeur in stature. Crashing open with a bang and quickly retreats to slowly build into a killer synth-based section, the song has no trouble becoming one of the more diverse Magma songs I have heard. With a much chiller, more calculated approach to sound, the song adds a fantastic dynamic to the album, with a much more "traditional" prog sound, as well as obvious Zeuhl influences. The entire track is much more heavily instrumental, with much less emphasis on the wooping vocals, which is a nice break from the hollering and other vocal noises (which are nice, but can get tiring). We can see Vander and co at their best performance, whipping out an epic 20+ minute jam session between each instrument. The jazzy communication between each member is superb, sound almost like complete and total improve throughout. Overall, this track is certainly my favorite on the album, and a stupendous Zeuhl song overall.

ALBUM OVERALL: As a very "immature" Zeuhl fan, I can say that this preliminary album is a perfect pseudo-introduction to a blooming love of the genre. Fusing opera with jazz with prog with rock with avant-garde with so many more genres, Zeuhl is truly the definitive "everything" fusion genre, and this album certainly exemplifies those qualities. Overall, the near 50 minute long track contains some really superb moments, and although I can't understand what the vocalists are talking about, the vocal melodies are superb and really fit the atmosphere of the music. The album is certainly a fantastic starting point for any prospective fan of the band or the genre, as I was and I'm sure others will be. Although this phrase may be rather cliché in describing this band, this music really is not of this world! 5 stars.

A very polished, mature MAGMA, with some new sounds (vocally), some great sound recording, some missing sounds (horns), and one of the best Zeuhl 'songs' I've yet heard (I'm still very new to this sub-genre, but I LOVE ZEUHL!! I think this is the music I've been missing--that I've been waiting for--since 1989 [when I gave up on rock/pop/prog music].): part "III"--and part "II" is right up there, too.

While I am rating this 5 stars--for it is a masterpiece of progressive rock music--I do not hold it as dear as MDK or even Wurdah Ïtah; there is something magical about the energy and spirit of those 1970s records--perhaps it is youthful idealism (Did Christian Vander believe he could create a personally- and even socially-transformative mythology back then? Does he still?) Still, I admire he and his crew of Kobaians who have stood steadfastly within this music and its message over the past 40 years.

Twenty years after Merci - a Magma release in name only -and nearly three decades since Magma's studio albums began drifting away from the epic album-length Zeuhl suites the group were known for, Magma make a triumphant return to the studio to finally lay down a definitive version of Kohntarkosz Anteria. The golden age Magma style of Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh, Wurdah Itah, and Kohntarkosz is back in full force, the band's reunion for the Theusz Hamtaahk trilogy concerts in 2001 clearly being more than a flash in the pan, and with modern production values applied lovingly to the recording they've ever sounded better. The original and best flavour of Zeuhl is back!

Take percussionist Christian Vander, throw in some bass by Philippe Bussonnet, mix in Electric Piano by Fr'deric D'Oelsnitz, sprinkle over Guitar by James Mac Gaw, blend in Piano by Emmanuel Borghi and then garnish over with layered choral vocals by Vander, Antoine Paganotti, Himiko Paganotti, Isabelle Feuillebois, and Stella Vander and what do you have? A plateful of Magma. 'K.A.' is typical of their trademark sound, that nobody would dare try to emulate. This is going to test the ears of many listeners but for those initiated into the cultish Magmaverse it is a mesmirising journey that hold immeasurable power.

I have already been officially weaned on Magma through force feeding myself an overdose of 'Kobaia', '1001 Centigrades', 'Me'kani'k De'strukt'ẁ Ko'mmando'h', 'Wurdah Ita', 'Udu Wudu', 'Attahk', 'E'mme'hnte'htt-Re' and 'Live/Hhai', so this album 30 years or so from their last, was definitely no surprise; and in fact exactly what one should expect from Magma, right down to the alien Kobaian vocals. These intonations that are indecipherable and remain hidden for eternity, are without meaning and yet brimming over with vitality and a sense of grandeur that every Magma album must have. After a hiatus the band were back in full force and playing the type of music that has earned them a huge following that has never faltered. The vocals on this first track are beautifully realised, especially the female choirs, they are very moving and so well performed. Especially so when it breaks into that uplifting melody at 6 and a half minutes in. It sounds like the vocals say, 'sit down my slave, this is meaningless', then there are vocal trills and snake hisses which would perhaps send the average music listener running for cover. It is not essential to understand the meaning as one brings their own meaning to this music. It is so absolutely out of the box and unique, it is admirable. Once it locks into your cerebral cortex, it is like a drug where you want more and it hypnotises with its rhythms and insistent vocals. At one point it sounds like the choirs are singing, 'why stab a murder song', why indeed. There are angelic passages of beauty at 10 minutes in, and I love the way it moves into a dreamy atmosphere.

Part II starts with a grand choir of vocal intonations lifting higher and higher and then levelling out as a bass groove locks in with some nice percussion hi hat work. The female voice has a beautiful timbre in her voice, then a choir sounding like 'beep beep my faster car, beep beep my faster car, followed by a male singing proudly, 'I have a fat saveloy.' Despite the hilarious task in creating false translations that Magma often ensues, the music is very infectious. The Koba'an language is quintessential to the distinct approach along with the avant-prog nuances, and switching of time signatures, mixed in with theatrical choir arrangements. The Zeuhl genre is incomplete without Magma of course, the progenitors of the movement, so it is impossible to criticize their uniqueness and bombastic other-worldliness. The part at 9 minutes sounds like 'the music scattered Robin Hood', and I agree, except Robin Hood would be swinging clear of this type of music. I really like the way the music simmers in the frying pan at one point and some sweet female voices sing over a plaintiff keyboard, chanting over and over 'a manic symphony' which may be an apt explanation of the music. One can easily hear 'Allelujah' at one point which is not Kobaian but works. It builds into more forced choirs and the mood gets as dark as Magma can get with staccato piano crashes and a tirade of drum detonations to finish it off as a mercy killing.

Part III is an epic that continues with more fast paced tempos, a cool guitar riff chugs along sounding not unlike Pink Floyd's 'Run Like Hell' from 'The Wall' at one point, and it locks into a pleasant funky groove with some outstanding atmospheric chimes and woodwind. Vander's drums have that wonderful sporadic tempo that has made him one of the drumming geniuses of our age. This builds with wailing choirs that have a haunting ethereal quality along with the jungle sounds, shivering rattlesnake shakers and tribal rhythms. The choral voices build into a loud frenetic chant that could be translated as 'Nobody sold out Rolling Stones', when we all know they did. When Vander sings on his own at the next point it sounds more like German than Kobaian. A lead guitar takes over as the male and female choirs continue to argue with each other. The drums win the argument and then it all breaks into a jazzy exploration with some of the best metronomic tempo changes on the album and the oddest time sigs on the planet. The sheet music would be a mess one would have to think. The Wagnerian opera music finally breaks into bass and drum blitzkrieg. Then more vocals try to explain what is going on and it can be translated as 'who had sat there, we'll do something, don't lick the mustard, do it Monday, do it Sunday, the mighty Sunday, very simple, as it can be, not so sooky, don't preach the candy, bury the sunbeam, berry sun cream, women love me, women sulking, messy sun cream, messy sun cream.' It is a hoot to listen to as it is all nonsense and it makes as much sense as it needs to as it backs up the frenetic music shapes and metronome swinging tempo meters. The choir chant 'Allelujah' again, the only English I can decipher and it is quite stunning as an augmentation to the wild musical expulsions. It builds at the end with threatening power to explode all over the planet, spreading the Magmanificent music worldwide.

At the end of the album as usual with Magma I can only shake my head in awe at the boldness of the group and how music like this can be created. It is incredible with it's primal energy and primitive dynamism and will appeal to their target audience, though I have no idea who that is. Magma are popular enough to pull decent crowds and their return to the studio after so many years of hiding on planet Kobaia was definitely well received. They seem to be more popular than ever judging from the recent colossal box set and DVD packages. Nothing had changed in their music from the germination of the group on 'Kobaiah' to their resurrection with 'K.A.'; if anything, they had become more daring, extreme and adventurous. This album may not measure up to the astonishing genius of 'M.D.K.' but I can still respect 'K.A.' as yet another glorious triumph for the mighty other worldly Magma.

Not out of this earth!

Everybody kind of got the picture that there are some "prog sub-genres" which were actually fashioned to fit the "untaggable" or the "new" or the "yet to come", progressive bands. The ZEUHL's category obviously was designed for MAGMA. Kind of a privilege if you come to terms with the idea.

Music wise or composition wise, ZEUHL's rootings are Neoclassic, Romantic, , Modern and Fusion (which means modern Jazz). And I will add "Opera and Operetta" as in MAGMA's "K.A." , 2004.

The material was in large part, originally composed by drummer Christian Vander during 1973-1974. Aside from Christian Vander's made up spoken "language", K.A. is really not that extreme or obscure. Opposite to that, it is quiet friendly for anyone used to RiO or AG's plasticity in musical languages.

As far as "K.A.", which was released like 30 years later, continuing MAGMA''s undisputable legacy, the 3 musical movements or "acts" (they are not exactly songs) are composition wise "flawless" and yet stuck in time by its own date of composition and influences.

So it is not actually a 2004 MAGMA project. It sounds like an un-released 70's project, and some of its then "modern" Classical music "likings and influences", have inevitably aged, therefore some of K.A.'s musical passages do not sound that "modern" or novel, nowadays. I do prefer the newest 2012 release, in that regard, but this one is good enough to hold on to.

****4 "for any progger who appreciated the genres mentioned above" PA stars.

'K.A' - Magma (96/100)

I wasn't aware of Magma when K.A (otherwise known as Kohntarkosz Anteria came out in 2006, and even had I been, I doubt I would have been able to appreciate the magnitude and significance of their comeback. The overlords of Zeuhl had remained silent for decades; the interregnum between K.A and the infamous pop attempt Merci in 1984 had seen the emergence of plenty of would-be Zeuhl and otherwise Magma-influenced bands, but suspicious little from Vander and co. It's been over a decade now since K.A came out, and it still strikes me with a bit of amazement that Magma were able to go so long without releasing anything of substance, and return with their most beautiful, energetic and impressive, yet undeniably accessible album to date. Ranking it within Magma's own accomplishments isn't enough to testify to its quality however; this is one of the greatest albums I have had the pleasure of hearing, in Zeuhl, in avant-garde and progressive rock, in adventurous music in general. The prospect of comeback albums usually entails something half-baked and dated. A surprise achievement like K.A is virtually unheard of.

Calling it a true comeback might not be entirely accurate; band mastermind Christian Vander had written most of the music in the midst of Magma's most prolific and successful years. Why he decided to sit on the music for half a lifetime is beyond me; needless to say, it's a good thing he finally decided to let the cat out of the bag. K.A is a considerably livelier album than Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh or Kohntarkosz. Where M.D.K was slow to start, K.A hits its full stride in less than a minute; following a soft entrance, Magma lets loose a surge of cosmic chamber rock, replete with the feminine choral arrangements and cerebral grooves the band have earned their reputation on. In many ways, K.A is a manifestation of Magma at their most accessible. Without having streamlined or cheapened the depth, they distilled some of the more jarring elements of their execution, namely the dissonant antics and caterwauling. The screechy parts of Magma's sound were a large part of why it took me so long to warm up to them, even when their talent was readily apparent to me. The band's signature blend of alien operatic fusion will still likely make for some uneasy digestion for newcomers, but given that Magma are-- if nothing else-- known for their eldritch and challenging material, that comes with the territory.

I'll offer a lapse of my authority as a reviewer by openly admitting I have little idea what the concept or 'story' of Magma's music is all about, much less this particular chapter. From what I understand, it's some apocalyptic saga of the planet Kobaia; the French have always had a cunning grasp of sci-fi pulp and space opera. While M.D.K gave the martial impression of a fleet preparing for war, K.A is much more optimistic, as if the planet Kobaia were celebrating some unlikely victory. Although there's not a lot of semantic sense to be made from the Kobaian language, there is an expanse of feeling in the voices. Magma's vocal arrangements tend to hum around a repeated choral motif, with a lead voice guiding things along. In many ways, the stars of the show are the female voices. Stella Vander, Isabelle Feuillebois and Himiko Paganotti are quick to grab my attention, not by the strength or 'hook' of their melodies, but the wealth they've invested in their harmonies.

Magma love to turn to repetition when they've got a good thing going on-- a focus on melody may have served to wear the ideas out, but close attention reveals that the harmonies are constantly in motion. There are several times throughout the three movements where I noticed the band returning to, and completely refreshing a past motif by the merit of an added voice, a shift in focus, an ever-so-slight change in the harmony. Part of what sets has long set Magma apart from so many of their contemporaries (and inevitably, has made their style that much more alienating) is the sense that they don't dissociate the vocals from the composition. Where most rock n' rollers see vocals as a guide above the sea of instruments, the vocals here are another instrument.

Zeuhl has been a tricky thing for me to get into over the years. If the way I've fumbled through this review is any indicator, the genre itself is pretty hard to pin down, and virtually any discussion of Magma and their acolytes should come with the caveat that their music is not for the faint of heart. Regardless, I am incredibly glad I finally managed to get into their music. While their appeal baffled me throughout high school, I do wonder if I would have had an easier time getting into them had I been introduced via K.A. Even beyond the album's context as a 'comeback', this is Magma at some of their most inspired and passionate. Where other albums of theirs have usually demanded at least a few listens before I start to appreciate them, this one was love at first listen. And unlike so much of the instantly gratifying art out there, this album has never seen fit to lose its magic for me. The connection has only grown with the passing of seasons and subsequent listens. To be honest, it's rare that an album hits me with the emotional force of K.A. The three movements flow together virtually seamlessly; although my cynical side might like to criticize the third act for being a little more longwinded, less compelling than the first two, the journey Magma takes with this album feels just about flawless, if not in the perfect technical sense, then certainly in an emotional one.

After a twenty year gap in which the musical weirdness of MAGMA fizzled out with the lackluster 'Merci,' it seemed that the Kobaians had packed up ship and headed back to their distant colonized world having found the state of affairs of our Earthly 1980s too much to handle. They had come to guide humanity into a higher state of consciousness but everything about the times was indicating an opposite effect. It goes without saying that the band is the brainchild of Christian Vander who not only developed the new musical genre that would come to be known as zeuhl (Kobaian for 'celestial'), but also the entire mythology and science fiction chronicles for the tales of planet Kobaia which they so inconveniently narrate in their own indecipherable language. Vander himself hadn't evacuated the planet, of course, and has explained the enervating circumstances which led to the band's initial demise however he continued working with various other projects including Fusion, the Christian Vander Trio, Welcome and Offering as well as releasing solo albums under his own moniker. It came as a surprise to everyone that a good thirty years after the peak of their creative output that MAGMA would release one of the best albums of their career.

K.A. which is an abbreviation for Köhntarkösz Anteria' is actually a prequel to the 1974 album 'Köhntarkösz' which together forms a trilogy finally realized with the 2009 closer 'Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré.' While the overall general mythology revolves around the spiritual quest of two men seeking secrets of the occult world in order control the forces of the universe and achieve immortality, K.A. provides the narrative of how these things came to be beginning with the main character (whose name is Köhntarkösz) finding out the roles he will play in the spiritual history of human evolution. This is, of course, intended for those interested in the underlying saga that is so craftily obscured beneath the impenetrable Kobaian language that are even taken to the point of being written out in the liner notes in Kobaian and are in effect complete gibberish lacking the addition of a dictionary at hand. Lyrical and mythological significance aside, MAGMA has never been the kind of band where the hidden sagas of far away worlds ultimately matter anyway. It's the music that draws us mere Earthlings in like moths to a porch light and K.A. delivers a bona fide greatest hits of musical styles honed and perfected throughout Vander's forty some years (at the time of release) on the world's progressive albeit underground experimental rock stage.

The album may consist of a mere three tracks with each outperforming the other, yet flow together as if the entire affair is a seamless intergalactic opera that expresses the narrative in ever changing tempos, bold and playful dynamics all artistically decorated with a wide-ranging palette of instrumental and vocal variations that will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with early 70s MAGMA fans but would surely sound like an extra-terrestrial liturgical drama to anyone yet unfamiliar with these unorthodox musical developments. Like the early MAGMA albums, a lot of musical mingling of influences outside the rock paradigm means that the Carl Orff meets Sun Ra effect easily connects K.A. to the trilogy in which it belongs. The album was for the most part composed in the same period of 1973-74 with fragments appearing on their 1977 live album 'In'dits.' While stylistically similar, K.A. offers a much needed reboot for the MAGMA brand name with only Christian and Stella Vander finding their way into the new 21st century version of the Kobaian universe. No, you will not find Jannick Top, R'ne Garber or other past masters on board here. This is a whole new cast of Kobaians with a guitarist, bassist, two keyboardists and five vocalists including Vander's signature improvisational falsetto scatting techniques that add one more layer of mondo bizzaro to the heady MAGMA experience.

The good news is that all members on board are up to the task of reaching and exceeding the high bar set long ago. The lineup is actually quite similar to the 2001 live 'Theusz Hamtaakh La Trilogie au Trianon' which includes Emmanuel Borghi on piano and keys, Phillippe Bussonnet on bass, James Mac Graw on guitar and Antoine Paganotti and Isabelle Feuillebois on vocals. New to the MAGMA family are keyboardist Frédéric d'Oelsnitz and vocalist Himiko Paganotti. All members past and present exquisitely meld their respective talents into one gorgeously long piece that while segmented remain in sync with the story at hand and effortlessly cascade and segue from one unintelligible musical tale to the next. While the material may have found its creation in the early 70s world of the nascent progressive rock era of extreme experimentalism, Vander was restricted at the time due not only to the limitations in technology but also the tight budgets they were subjected to (it sucks being ahead of the pack) and thus never had the resources to grace the albums with the affluence of a decent production budget. On K.A. all the modern day techniques are utilized to make a crystal clear and powerful album that sounds like the perfect hybrid of the classic 70s musical style with 21st century advantages. While the performances are hardly incumbent on the technological advances, it certainly makes great music sound even better.

No one could have seen this gift beamed down from the Kobaian heavens above. Progressive rock bands from the 70s rarely live up to, much less outperform the performances of their heyday but for anyone who has seen Christian Vander play his drum like a pro well into his senior citizen years will understand that the man simply never loses his magical musical mojo on either his manic percussion prowess or his ability to utter those ear-piercing shrill falsetto scatting sessions that add that extra amount of weirdness to the already out-of-the-box outlandishness. And likewise nor does he seem to botch up the Kobaian mythological legacy in any way which could be helped by the fact that the alien lyrics give an air of total mystery surrounding the nebulous concepts. All in all, K.A. ranks at the very top of MAGMA albums in its sheer audacity not only in incorporating all the tastiest ingredients of their glory years but by also ratcheting up the musical concepts to new levels without sacrificing one little iota of their idiosyncratic zeuhl rhythms, seductive yet bewildering musical transitions or the vim and over-the-top vigor that graces every bombastic or sensual cadence. Not to mention revealing a hitherto unfinished piece of the ever-unfolding Kobaia mythology. This is one of the most brilliant comebacks in the prog universe and also displays the timeless erratic beauty of Vander's vision that emerged in the wild and crazy 60s. Another timeless masterpiece has emerged and well worth the thirty years that it took for its completion.