VERSAILLES

This record feels more mature, more confident even the vocalist getting more passionate at times. The album opens with two monster tracks, the opener the title track at over 15 minutes then "Poison De Passion" at over 19 minutes. The opener is led at first by the keyboards and guitar and I like the sound before one of many calms arrives. When it kicks back in the vocals become the focus which isn't as good but the contrasts between the powerful and mellow continue. I do like the vocals 4 minutes in as synths continue. We get some organ the guitar starts to light it up followed by a calm. A MAGMA vibe with the vocals and bass which goes on for some time. Nice. This might be the best track on here.

"Poison De Passion" is a beast at over 19 minutes and I love the start but also the flute during that pastoral section which is a good contrast to that determined sound that follows 5 1/2 minutes in. There's a 4 minute calm between 8 and 12 minutes in that I really like. Oh and that guitar solo after 15 minutes is a treat. The final two numbers are just under 10 minutes each beginning with "La Haine De L'amour" which has it's moments but is my least favourite. The closer "Cruel Duel" has some power early on and I like that bass. Vocals follow and they will trade off with the guitar the rest of the way.

Three of the four members here would become part of the comeback album by MONA LISA also released in 1998. I have a great appreciation for the band's final two albums, it's where the talent and ideas shone the brightest.

Huge respect from yours truly for this third release "Le Tresor De Valliesres" from 1994. This album is brimming with ideas and take away those four short tracks and I'm very seriously considering 5 stars, but as it is this one is definitely a keeper. Lots of surprises and they clearly put a lot into this album and most of it works quite well. I love how upfront the bass is and the vocalist singing in French is very good and we get an array of keyboards including their only album with mellotron. I'm really looking forward to spending next week with their final album as this one impressed me so much. Imagine ANGE without the theatrical vocals.

How amazing does this sound with the choirs to start before the vocalist arrives sounding very French. Bass and beats and it just soars on the chorus, like a celebration. Catchy stuff. Killer bass on this one plus a few calms and flute later. "Une Saint Barthelemy Devote" is the epic at over 20 minutes and my favourite. It's fairly mellow for the first 3 minutes before they amp it up, flute too. A change after 12 minutes with soprano vocals and a classical sound before kicking back in with some great sounding guitar and bass. Spacey guitar leads follow and how about that nod to MAGMA with the chanting and upfront bass before 17 minutes. Come on!

That sixth track is 13 1/2 minutes long and we get some cool vocal arrangements 12 minutes in but that's the tip of the iceberg as we get another track for them to stretch out and be adventerous. The closer, the title track features some melancholic synths, whispered vocals and of course the bass and guitar especially around 4 1/2 minutes to the end. Nasty stuff.

Andy at Planetmellotron gave this 4.5 stars and I need to keep this around for now to compare it with their final release as this is an album that does excite me despite the cover art(haha).

Here Versailles abandon the short music forms of the debut for extended, long compositions with plenty of variations.Four out of the six tracks are 10 minutes or longer with evident 70's influences and a slighter turn towards a more Neo Prog sound with powerful guitars and heavy use of synthesizers.Still the Classical influences prevail and the resemblance to classic French acts like ANGE or MONA LISA leads Versailles' music for yet another album.They do combine with comfort the muddy Mellotron and Hammond organ washes with the delicacy of piano interludes and the edge of digital synthesizers to offer multilple, different textures that can get too dramatic and theatrical at times.Of course not all things stand on the right side in ''Don Giovanni''.The lack of original ideas is slightly disturbing, while the long pieces do suffer from inconsistency, containing both excellent and mediocre moments.Still there is some great balance between the vocal and the instrumental passages, the later include some bombastic moves with dual keyboard deliveries and even some very impressive guitar work.On ''Erre au fil des eres'' they come up with their best performance by far, a fantastic piece of atmospheric Symphonic Rock with strong ANGE inspirations in the keyboard themes but also some nice fresh ideas in the long instrumental runs.

Very talented group.The short time between the first and second work seems to have affect the result, which could have been even better in my opinion.No question though, this is a pretty great addition for all fans of Neo/Symphonic Prog with bright vintage colors.Recommened.

The band was in a desperate hunt to capture the feeling of the old-school dramatic French Symphonic Rock as performed by acts such as ANGE, MONA LISA or SYNOPSIS and ''La cathedrale du temps'' is no more or less than an attempt by this French quartet to transform this style in the modern age.The result was an album of qualitive dramatic and theatrical Symphonic Rock with expressive vocals and bombastic moments, suffering from the cheap 80's sound techniques, but performed with passion and talent.The arrangements are sufficient and even superb at moments with emphasis on the huge symphonic keyboard themes and the intense lyrical passages, including melodramatic singing and narrations, not unlike the frontmen of the French monsters of the style.De Lille colors the album with grandiose symphonic organs, piano interludes and synth flights, mostly played with a high degree of inspiration, but the sometimes plastic sound burries part of his ideas.De la Piliere's guitars are sensational, both in the lead and rhythmic parts, with evident GENESIS, ANGE and even FOCUS traces, and become even more bombastic combined with De Lille's keyboards.Some very nice melodies and good interplays complete the satisfying proposal of Versailles and their fresh symphonic approach.

Very good debut and if it wasn't for some cheap-sounding passages the final result would have been a lot better.Even so ''La cathedrale du temps'' remains a nice modern Symphonic Rock experience for fans of the style and a must-have for all followers of Classic French Symphonic Rock.Recommended.

This album only features four songs. From nine to nineteen minutes. Plenty of time to be able to develop their ideas. The sound is also harder during the title track. We'll even get some portions fully sounding like "The Knife" (around 4'30"). This song might not have the brilliance of their wonderful epic "Une Saint Barthelemy Dévote" released on "Le Trésor de Valliesres" but some great guitar breaks are really the highlights.

Vocals are somewhat "opera" oriented. I am not very much keen on these ones. This epic probably lacks in the fantasy of their earlier work but the more I listen to it, the more I get into (especially during those "The Knife" moments which are really plentyful). Not original but such a nice trip back to my youth. Actually, since I have just reviewed the excellent "Lycanthrope" from "Mangala Vallis" it is a nice extension. Maybe a good idea to listen to these albums consecutively.

This epic is definitely on the hard side of their music. Very pleasant, I have to say.

The second epic (almost twenty minutes) is more in the symphonic style. Some nice flute, spacey passages are available. Vocals parts are also more "normal". There is an incredible guitar solo (but this album is very much a guitar one). So, if this instrument does pleases you, do not hesitate). Some parts will also remind you "Supper's Readdy" (like during "The Mask" from "Mangala"). Most of this song is instrumental. Some spacey breaks combined to "Watcher" ones for the finale concludes this pure nostalgic track. Even some fluting to complete the picture (but more on the Tull side).

"Poison De Passion" is a good song, but maybe not enough personal. To integrate all of these elements is maybe a bit too much. Still, if you like the music I have been describing, you should like this album.

Now, the last two "short" tracks. Just over nine minutes. "La Haine De L'amour" sounds like the early "Ange" (Caricatures"). This song is more keyboards oriented. It is quieter and fully symphonic. Lyrics are sexually oriented. It's about the discovery of love in a brothel and all its consequences (syphilis etc.). A very good song again. Sounds almost as a Crimson one during some instrumental parts as well as during the closing section.

I feel somewhat sad when I see the very little interest for this band on PA. Please, do yourself a favour. Have a try on "Versailles", you won't be disappointed. It is their last album. My recommendation is their fabulous "Le Trésor de Valliesres". Even if you might not get into French lyrics. But come on you guys from France, and the French speaking parts of Switzerland, Canada and Belgium. Just have a listen and please share your views about their work.

The closing number is also very much "Genesis" oriented. A mix between "Broadway Melody of 1974" (from "The Lamb") and "The Kinfe" again. The fourth good song of this album. Nice vocals and again more keyboards than during the two epics.

This album is the third straight good one of "Versailles". I am expecting my order of their debut album to be able to review it on PA. It should arrive next month. This one is a solid four star work.

I guess that most of the progheads prefer to describe some Genesis, Yes, Tull etc. great album over and over than to discover some brilliant bands. Of course, "Versailles" did not choose for the easiest task. Singing into French has NEVER been a plus. Especially on this site. It sounds as the language barrier has always have been a problem. And this is really a shame.

Some exceptions for the Italian symph style. But that's it. I really feel sorry for so many great French truely prog bands that are just not recognized as such.

"Versailles" second album was a great prog album and this one holds maybe one of the greatest epic ever written (well, let's not be too over-enthusiastic, maybe one of the top thirty one...). But before this epic, the listener will already go through a fantastic voyage. Musically with the opening track "Le Serment des Damnés" and lyrically with the short "Exquise Bêtise" (fantastic texts, really).

Now, "Une Saint Barthelemy Dévote". A magnificent piece of music. Wonderful and quiet intro. It makes reference to one of the darkest period of the French history (the "Saint Bartelemy" period - a religious massacre). Of course, it has some "Supper's Ready" moments. But don't you like these ???

Keyboards are grandiose, hypnotic chorus, "vitriolesque" lyrics, fabulous guitar work. Can't you cope with this ? Do you really want more ? This epic song is so brilliant, so inspired, so wonderfully played that I just can say one thing : give it an attentive ear. You will be so pleased to have done so. No doubt about that.

It is a five star track : no discussion about this. Well, actually, I hate to be so vindicative. But I just can recommend you to have a listen. I bet you : you won't be disappointed. Some spacey moments fully Floydian will transport you to the other side of the ...). A great, great song.

A gentle acoustic track ("Horizon's" & "Mood For A Day" like) will lead us to another beautiful prog moment : "Dégénerescence Obsessionnelle". Another long and gorgeous song ( over thirteen minutes). An incredible opening : outstanding guitar work, spacey keyboards. All of this during a superb intro (four minutes long). Some inspired lyrics, and here we go for a very much "ASOS" oriented song.

Brilliant symphonic and space-rock with great lyrics is a cocktail I like very much. If you also add some very nice flute solo instants, you might imagine that I am just stunned with this number as well. Finale is very much Genesis oriented ("Watcher"). BEAUTIFUL my dear prog friends.

"Avec Tous Mes Hommages" holds absolutely irreverent / vulgar / obscene lyrics (but how much I like these...). This song is the most "The Knife" oriented one that I have ever heard. Almost a cover, musically. A bit too short, unfortunately.

The closing and title track opens on a fully spacey mood (but this already has been noticed on this great album).

Once in a while I do upgrade an album. The very much inacurrate rating sytem available on PA (twenty per cent increment between each grade) makes it very difficult to decide whether or not an album deserves more than the four star rating. This one deserves nine out of ten. Since I am rather scarce (ten per cent of my reviews end up with five stars) I will just rate this album with five stars. I will downgrade it with four and a half or nine out of ten when available.

This is a great album. Have a try and review it, please !

Great musicianship, original songwriting, complex yet accessible (?) music, good lyrics. These ingredients are the ones you can find in this amazing album.

Very little exposure, some recognition of course (but almost only in France) the band will release four albums and then call it quit. Most of the members will re-form the legendary "Mona Lisa", but this is another story.

Most of the songs are rather extended (except two). This is typical symph prog form the seventies (but I think that some of us might like this period...). Omnipresent keyboards, very nice flute passages, melodies, and again melodies...

Lot of people compare the vocals to the ones of Christian Descamps; and it is true that in some songs he sounds almost like him. Like during "Subtiles Délicatesses". When you listen to it, you might think that it is just a nice little song; not important. If you understand the lyrics, it is one of the most outrageous and almost pornographic that I have ever heard (it reminds me when I was a student and we used to sing lots of these type of songs. Belgian student parties - guindailles - are quite famous for this).

I guess that this song has hardly make any radio appearence. Rather vulgar but so funny, so irreverent. Just great. But mostly for the lyrics. With "Drama", there won't be any language barrier since it is an instrumental. Fully symphonic and delicate. So, even the short breaks are much more than fillers.

"Mémoires D'Hécatombes" is harder. More guitar-oriented. But at the same time, it will feature an opera section which will add a lot of drama. A bizarre piece of music. Scary and different. The keys here even sound like the Manzarek ones (yes, from "The Doors").

All these good tracks... And I haven't told you anything from the epic of this album. "Don Giovanni". A great mix of "Versailles" skills : good vocals, nice flute, performant keyboards (almost classical, ELP-ish), not too complex music yet personal, indecent lyrics "La Femelle Ecartelée, de tous les côtés..." : "The quartered female, from all sides...". Lots of sexual connotations of course. This is the most intricate song of the whole. Crimsonesque at times.

Versailles'music is pleasant, complex enough but far from being a mental masturbation exercise. Of course, some musical passages will remind the early Genesis. But only remind. I really like "this "Don Giovanni". Four stars.