UNIVERS ZERO

Nothing short of amazing and certainly an RIO favorite of mine. Heatwave may not be regarded as their best, other than me. The band was on the verge of disintegrating with Daniel Denis writing two of the "shorter" pieces and Andy Kirk with the side-length and one "shorter" piece. Regardless I can't see any weakening of their music, it's just as challenging and uncompromising as anything they did before. While UZED clearly shows an electric approach, Heatwave expands on that. As usual it's really difficult to distinguish one cut to another but the music is so wonderfully off-the-wall I don't mind. Unusual chord structures and time signatures, blatant disregard for anything remotely resembling a pop hook, doing everything to not guarantee radio airplay and t that's what I love their music for. Of course this is not Rock in Opposition for nothing, totally challenging the rock status quo. This came out in 1986 apparently as a band released CD before Cuneiform Records made it widely available the next year. To think this came out at a time of MTV-friendly synth pop and hair metal this is as far removed from that as possible. While classic prog was floundering in the '80s, neo-prog took its place but not everyone came on board, RIO was at its musical heights in that decade and what Univers Zero did only proves that. Heatwave is an amazing album as far as I'm concerned. No such thing as a bad UZ album!

New Univers Zero album is always a great news to me even if this time it would be without the magnificent sound of bassoon. I was happy to see Kurt Bude still with the band as an active writer. I remeber talking to him after one of UZ shows when they played some of the new tracks. I've mentioned my favourite ones and he was pleased to say they were his, so from this day I keep an eye and ear on him :) And he defenitely delivers here. The more rock and less classical oriented sound isn't as revolutionary as one may think. Phosphorescent Dreams is still full of unimitable UZ sound. Chamber rock at it's finest. 4,5 stars.

This archival collection of live pieces from Univers Zero doesn't replicate any one particular show - but it does capture the sound of an era, with its tracks bridging the gap between Uzed - in which the band were still playing in a chamber rock style reminiscent of the sound of Ceux du Dehors - and Heatwave, in which they adopted a chillier, more synth- washed style.

This musical transition is perhaps best observed in the fantastic 1985 rendition of Heatwave's second-side epic, the ever-magnificent Funeral Plain, but it is apparent throughout the collection, and that makes this a decidedly worthwhile pick for anyone who's already sold on Uzed or Heatwave by themselves. If you like both, you'll like this, if you like one but are unsure about the other this might help you see where the one you're less keen on is coming from.

While the small nation of Belgium was notably left out of the first wave of the progressive rock boom of the early 70s, the land between France and the Netherlands redeemed itself in the latter half of the decade with excellent bands like Cos and Aksak Maboul making a mark on the scene. Of course, no story would be complete with the most successful of the Belgian prog bands of all, namely UNIVERS ZERO which was a part of a new dense and challenging type of avant-prog chamber rock that was a vital ingredient in the ultimate antithesis to the punk and disco scenes that was called Rock In Opposition. While the band's first two albums '1313' and the even darker and scarier 'Heresie' implemented a new stylistic approach that mixed heavy rock elements with mostly acoustic instrumentation with major influence from Bart'k and Stravinsky, the band sort of developed a musical style that hit a musical cul-de-sac by reaching its logical conclusion.

Starting with the band's third album 'Ceux Du Dehors,' UNIVERS ZERO starting lightening up the gloom and doom and marked a major stylistic shift that adopted more electronic sounds, various ethnic musical scales as well as a more eclectic palette of compositional fortitude. Essentially a musical collective with a rotating cast of members led by founder / drummer / chief songwriter Daniel Denis, UZ continued to change its sound drastically without leaving behind the off-kilter angularities that made its particular brand of avant-prog so utterly unique. After 1981's 'Ceux Du Dehors,' UZ embarked on a relentless touring schedule and delayed the released of the fourth album for three years. The four track EP 'Crawling Wind' appeared in between but it wasn't until 1984 that UZ unleashed a new album in the form of UZED. The title basically refers to the initials of the band's name UNIVERS ZERO. The letter U plus ZED, another name for the letter Z in many European nations.

Denis was the only member left of the lineup fo the first three albums and therefore UZED developed a very different sound due to the emphasis on different instrumentation. Andre Mergen's cello and sax playing are emphasized as well as the more aggressive sounds of Michael Delory's electric guitar playing techniques which were a stark contrast to UZ's previous guitar sounds of former co-founder Roger Trigaux. Also new to the band was keyboardist Jean-Luc Plouvier whose role was teased out into completely new experimentations which would be further explored on the band's following album 'Heatwave.' Despite all the changes, the compositions overall are firmly rooted in the classical musical settings that earlier albums implemented. Likewise the dissonance and atonality are scattered around in abundance but not in a suffocating manner. The album seems to balance the darker mood settings of earlier albums with more moments of uplifting splendor.

Perhaps the most immediate distinction from what came before is the heavier use of rock instrumentation and bombast along with a much easier to follow melodic approach that implements not only infinitely less darkened musical scales such as the Middle Eastern influences on the opening 'Pr'sage,' but also a more focused effort on more cyclical loops that add something to latch onto rather than the long drawn out meandering passages that enshrouded the mysterious musical canvas on 'Heresie.' The shortest track of the album 'L'Etrange Mixture du Docteur Schwartz' may clock in at slightly less than four minutes but rocks the house with an incessant pummelation of the drums and an equally feisty attack of the piano stabs, clarinet assaults and rampaging time signatures run amok at reckless high tempo velocities. Likewise Christian Genet's bass slapping is off the charts as he channels his best Christ Squire and really lets loose.

'C'lesta (for Chantal)' distinguishes itself with guest musician Marc Verbist contributing haunting violin sounds and Delory providing the heaviest doses of electric guitar on the album including an unexpected solo near the end however the track starts out bereft of rock elements for the first few minutes as a choppy piano performance ekes out a lugubrious violin and occasional percussive drive. It's not until the last couple of minutes that the track turns to the dark side with an industrial sounding mechanical drive which allows the guitar off the leash and proceeds to go friggin bonkers. 'Parade' is the cheeriest track on board with a 'somewhat' less darkened approach but still performs the expected knotty angularities in a relentless stampede of time signature workouts and instrumental interplay. The track with its rock elements can remind more of King Crimson at its most energetic moments with the usual chamber rock instruments on board. The hairpin twists and turns also conspire to create one of the more dramatic tracks on UZED.

The final 'Emmanations' is not only the longest track on UZED which by clocking in at almost 16 minutes blows away the running time of the rest of the tracks, but also is clearly the highlight. Given the proper time length to slowly percolate slowly and ratchet up the tension, this closer unleashes the newly discovered use of electronic synthesizers in the UZ sound to nurture an ominous stormy cloud cover of sound while the usual chamber rock elements struggle in the dark to find the right riff to latch onto. Once a groove and a riff are found, the instrumental interplay pretty much follows a repetitive cyclical melodic construct that relies on an infinite series of variations to paint a dramatic soundscape. Not to say that twists and turns do not occur but the track is amazingly stable given its sprawling domain over the album's run. The most startling change of the entire album comes just past the 12 minute mark of 'Emmanations' where the it abruptly turns into an industrial echoey soundscape with muddied vocals whispering from the darkness while a drunken violin emerges from the backdrop. A frightening rhythmic pulse evokes more of the sounds of early Einst'rzende Neubauten than anything out of the UZ playbook and ends the album with while presaging the band's next move.

UZED may have lacked the uniformity of its predecessors (especially the first two albums) but made up for it in its sheer audacity to simultaneously explore new sonic textures in myriad directions. While generally considered a transitional album, UZED nevertheless successfully fleshes out many of the subtle aspects that the band was striving for and while not quite reaching the electronic based apex that 'Heatwave' would achieve, the brackish waters of the former acoustic chamber rock elements along with the heavier rock guitar and synthesizer sequences makes for an exciting avant-prog journey throughout the album's five diverse tracks. At this point Denis proved himself to be a master of reinventing the sound as he conducted a whole new cast of characters to bring the early Rock In Opposition sounds into the new decade. While UNIVERS ZERO would never recreate the stunning perfection of '1313' and 'Heresie,' albums like UZED only proved that the intricate creative fusion of classical, chamber music and progressive rock had hardly been exhausted at this point and that in many ways the avant-prog scene was only getting started. A tough listen for sure but ultimately worth the effort.

The third album by the Belgian chamber avant-rock band UNIVERS ZERO followed in the footsteps of the avant-garde ominous dread that the self-titled debut (aka "1313") and the spine-tingling "Hérésie" presented with all the stunning musical maestrohood on steroids, however CEUX DU DEHORS (translates as "Those of the Outdoors" or "The Outsiders") found inspiration from the darkened world of H.P. Lovecraft's most demented works after someone left some of his short stories in the recording studio. Much of this album revolves around those occult and darkened themes set to the musical complexity and labyrinthine avant-prog angularities that had made the band stand out from virtually the rest of the entire musical scene in the late 70s.

As with the previous two albums UNIVERS ZERO was centered around the stable quartet of Daniel Denis (drums and percussion), Guy Segers (bass, clarinet, vocals), Michel Berckmans (bassoon, oboe, English horn, vocals) and Patrick Hanappier (viola, violin, vocals) and joining the ranks were the new talent of Andy Kirk joining in on piano, harmonium, organs and vocals. In addition there are three guest musicians that spice up the album with a violin, cello and hurdy-gurdy all which prove to add some of the most haunting and blood curdling sounds that can be experienced in the world of recorded music. While the band would begin to shift their sound on the following "Uzed," CEUX DU DEHORS can be thought of as the last of a dark mythological trilogy of the band's origins only continues the journey with even more precision and skill.

While "Hérésie" explored the absolute limits of impending doom and ominous nihilism and perhaps ranks as one of the scariest sounding albums of all time, CEUX DE DEHORS starts out on a much lighter note at least towards the beginning with the almost festive "Dense" starting things out with more emphasis on fiery circuitous rhythmic drives that allow the classical chamber orchestral sounds to ping and pong and resonate in astounding tight-knit precision. The light hearted melodic flow is almost exuberant in its medieval-tinged folklore burbling to the surface. The track which is one of two that exceed the 12 minute mark (the other being "Combat") may start off as a jittery caffeinated romp but five minutes in the band revives the eerie gloomy chamber rock drones and classical minimalism that can raise the dead and then proceeds to mix the two moods together displaying an uncanny ability to juggle these opposing musical tones.

While tracks that follow "La Corne Du Bois Des Pendus" and "Bonjour Chez Vous" tend to focus on the fiery instrumental acrobats that focus on the extremities of chamber rock and classical wizardry while the album ebbs and flows through angular labyrinthine compositions that zigzag unexpectedly and utilize unorthodox tempo changes and jagged riffs that find the most jarring ways to ratchet up the tension, CEUX DU DEHORS slowly but surely drifts off into the same nightmarish musical perversity that "Hérésie" excelled at in freakish perfection. In particular the last three tracks starting with "La Musique d'Erich Zann" there is more focus on classical minimalism such as that by Philip Glass and the Krautrock motorik rhythmic drives as heard by German bands like Neu! only set to a classical orchestral performances that take a little jazz improvisation and industrial bleakness and funnel it all down into some of the most ominous hair-raising sonic terror that will never allow you to look at the bassoon and oboe in the same way. The way this track starts is like a haunted pasture with freaky imitations of sheep freaking out.

The bleakness continues with "La Tete Du Corbeau" and the closing "Triomphe des Mouches" which ends the album in utter contrast as to how it began. Perhaps these latter tracks were leftovers from the earlier sessions before the band decided to lighten things up a bit? Regardless, CEUX DU DEHORS is another amazing album by UNIVERS ZERO that displays an even more uncanny flock of bird randomness in the tight instrumental interplay and an even more unbelievable mastery of using sonic juxtapositions to create the maximum fear factory. While the album pales only in comparison to the phenomenal perfection of the first two albums and the inconsistencies of stylistic approaches that differentiate the beginning tracks from the end, it's really not that big of a deal when the music presented on every track is of this amazing caliber. On CEUX DU DEHORS, these Belgians proved that they indeed could craft the perfect soundtrack for the Dark Fantasy perversions of Lovecraft and in the process make it sound so ridiculously natural.

If you ever really wonder what Rock in Opposition sounds like, or if someone asks you what it is, then you put on an album by Univers Zero. That's about as good of an introduction as you can get. Of course, it branches out in all kinds of sounds and styles from there, but it's still a good start.

This album is all about traditional, orchestral style instruments, only not in an orchestra as much as in a chamber ensemble. But even then, you don't want to make the mistake of thinking you are going to be listening to baroque style music, think more along the lines of impressionistic music. Seeing as how the band cites Bartok and Stravinski as influences, then that should give you an idea of what you are going to get here, but with more contemporary percussion than with orchestral style. Throw in different string instruments like violin and cello, harmonium and some brass, then an occasional guitar and bass, and you got the idea.

This is definitely not rock or pop in any regular sense. If you are familiar with RIO or Avant-prog, then this sound is something that you are used to hearing. But, as this band is one of the pioneers of the sound, they are the ones that helped establish the genre. Expect complex melodies and time signatures with a lot of dissonance. Also, on this album at least, things are more raw then they would be in some future albums.

Many compare Univers Zero with Art Zoyd, and the comparision makes sense, at least in AZ's early stages. UZ is a lot more tight sounding as the music is more structured where AZ is more improvised. This album, called 1313 for the catalogue number, is not as dynamic and a bit rougher than their future releases would be. But it is still top notch quality music, much of it inspired by works of Lovecraft and other dark artistry. The music definitely fits that niche. But, some may also think because of this that the music is soundtrack style music. That is a mistake. It's much more complex and is not tied down to imagery, but much better composed with a structure.

Of course, this isn't music for everyone, but mostly those that have a love for avant-garde style classical music or for those that love adventurous music of any genre. Highly recommended to RIO/Avant Prog lovers as an essential album.

If anyone wanted to suggest that Univers Zero had lost any of their early darkness or intensity in their later years, Clivages stands as a firm rebuke to any such notion. Take, for instance, the 12 minute saga of Warrior, an all- instrumental RIO workout which excels at evoking an atmosphere of unfettered darkness and violence, with King Crimson-filtered jazz influences expertly incorporated into their chamber rock attack.

That said, whilst Clivages includes some of their most intense moments since their earliest albums, it also showcases the broader range they've attained in their mature era. Les Kobolds, for instance, is positively perky in its approach, a sunny prequel to the war crimes to come. On the whole, the album represents the modern incarnation of Univers Zero at the top of its game.

The exploration of blending classical chamber forms with rock instrumentation and elements continues. This, Uzed's third album release, is, in my opinion, so far, the band's most diverse and accessible album.

1. "Dense" (12:26) definitely constructed to be danceable, the pacing and spacing conjure up a whole stage of pitter-patting and flitting ballet dancers. Full rock complement of drums and bass does nothing to hurt this music. In fact, it would be impossible to establish the baseline insistently frenetic pace without them. And, most surprising, is the overall Moulin Rouge feel to the music: none of the dark, somber sound and mood here. Even the slow accordion-driven section in the fifth minute retains some element of human positivity (like "rest"). The cor anglais work in the sixth minute is my favorite: I can see the solo ballerina dancing her ever-increasing expenditure of radiating energy as the instrument proceeds, with other dancers slowly rejoining on stage as the horn gives way to the rest of the returning band members. At 8:45 there is a sudden build and cut, leaving a dark, quiet, passage of ambivalent tension. This carries on for two minutes before horns and strings rejoin with a repetition of upward-climbing spirals of chords and melody notes--all occurring over the still-insistent pulsing bass lines. (22.75/25)

2. "La Corne du Bois des Pendus" (8:42) opens with an ancient feeling with hurdy gurdy/harmonium and woodwinds before monastic like wordless choir vocals join in. Reset and harmonium and reeds take another round. Round and round these two motifs go until around 3:30 strings get a pop--in the absence of the rhythm tracks. Reeds join in and then back off for solo choir "ahhs" before recorded crowd noises fill the foundational space for harmonium and strings to play some very discordant, disturbing music. At the six-minute mark church organ sweeps everything else away for a solo shot. It is then joined by oboe and viola and then bass as the music builds and peaks at the very end of the eighth minute--and stays there for the rest of the song! I am such a sucker for replications of "ancient" pre-classical musics that I find myself totally immersed in this beautiful, nostalgic song. It's like taking a walking journey through the 15th century section of Rennes or the like. (19/20)

3. "Bonjour Chez Vous" (3:52) listening to this from the year 2023 I can honestly say how little the band has changed in 30 years as this song could very easily have come off of the band's 2010 masterpiece, Clivages. (I know they went through their phase of experimenting with electronic instruments with 2042's Implosion but you know what I mean.) Here they are more upbeat than is typical of the band. The use of classically-established chamber music forms and motifs feels like a direct link to the music of 21st Century genius, Olga Podgaiskaja (Rational Diet, Five-Storey Ensemble). (8.75/10)

4. "Combat" (12:53) militaristic drums are paired up with electric bass over which reeds and strings create their unbridled chromatic chord progressions. At the one-minute mark there is suddenly a stoppage, a quiet before the impending storm, which is slowly filled by a slow-build return of the militaristic elements and accompanying idiosyncratic groups and individuals. Fascinating! In the fourth minute one can feel the coagulating esprit de corps. Amazing! (23.5/25)

5. "La Musique d'Erich Zann" (3:29) like a soundtrack to a particularly frightening scene in a F.W. Murnau film. Strings alone--and principally one violin. Very effective. (9/10)

6. "La Tete du Corbeau" (3:11) now hear is the macabre sound that I'd come to expect from Uzed! Coming from a low end ascending scale, repeated over and over, measure after measure, contrasted with another group of instruments playing minor descending melodies. Almost like a mathematical study! (9/10)

7. "Triomphe des Mouches" (5:36) tension from a sustained harmonium chord is toyed with by treated piano notes and before "Jaws"-like riff enters at the very end of the second minute. Harmonium, piano, and violins create a syncopated rhythmic fabric of music over the top of the pulsing bass instruments' notes. Interesting if different. Exaggerated breathing/groaning voices join in before a percussive bridge to more frenetic harmonium (at least two harmonia!) and piano play reach new heights of tension. The flies win! How terrifying! (8.75/10)

Total Time: 50:09

After two albums, the UZed sound and prevailing dark mood no longer come as such a shock. For some reason, I find the songs of Ceux du dehors to be the most accessible and enjoyable collection of the band's discography.

A-/five stars; a masterpiece of Avant Garde/RIO music but also a continued reminder to all prog rockers of the potentialities of their genre of music. In my opinion, Univers Zero is essential listening for all musicians proclaiming a desire to carry the torch of true progression in modern music.

Sallying forth through the bleak years of the mid-80s, UNIVERS ZERO forged ahead without compromise dishing out perhaps the most daring music that borders on sheer temerity. The band had a few lineup changes during the years of 1984-86 from which these eight tracks were picked and we are treated to some of the most turbulent and tumultuous recordings of the band that couldn't have been more against the grain in one of the least friendly decades for overtly complex and brooding progressive music that not only went where no band had gone before but did it with an imperious mien that reverberates throughout the decades holding up well after the fact. At the time however, the band was holding their own on their rocky road through the 80s as heard on RELAPS their second live release that only hit the hands of consumers in 2009, a good twenty years plus after these recordings were put to tape and then put under lock and key.

Live albums rarely do it for me like the studio counterparts but i have to say that this second live release RELAPS from the progressive avant-garde chamber music gods UNIVERS ZERO blows the roof off the house! This album was recorded at various venues in Germany and Belgium between the years 1984-86 and captures some of the most stunning magic of this great band displaying their finesse and powerful sonic firestorms in full fury proving that they are no mere studio band spending countless hours just putting sounds to tape without a clue of how to reproduce them. These guys are seriously gifted musicians who have all the chops to match the studio prowess AND exceed it. The fact that they can continually pump this out in a live setting and improvise free-style when the moment dictates also boggles the mind in just how proficient and dedicated the members of this band are. This is one of those rare live albums that actually surpasses any expectations of what i could hope for and deliver the goods and actually not even mind the 70 minutes plus of playing time. It's that phenomenal.

This album covers material from the albums "Uzed" ("L'étrange Mixture Du Docteur Schwartz" [2 versions that bookmark the album], "Présage", "Parade and Emanations") and "Heatwave" (title track and the extraordinary 18:10 "The Funeral Plain.") There is also a near four minute track "Ligne Claire" that is only found on this album. The music is, of course, their usual lineup of drums, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, bass, keyboards, cello, electric guitar, violin, viola and keyboards although the musical ingredients vary according to the period. The music on RELAPS is simply perfectly delivered and you'd be hard pressed to even know this is a live album except for the audience reaction at the end of tracks. The production is crystal clear and amazingly clean for several live 80s venues where who-knows-what can possibly go wrong and the band is absolutely flawless in the musical delivery.

Although i can't profess to know the band's canon note for note, i can say that this music in all its complexity sounds like it is performed in the most logical manner, meaning it is imperceptible if mistakes are being made. UNIVERS ZERO and the Rock In Opposition and avant-prog bands of the era didn't banish patterns within music, they simply or complexly rather, created new ones hitherto unexplored. These patterns of music sound exquisitely logical once heard but to create such unfamiliar forms is the true definition of music magic in my opinion. EVERYTHING works on this one. The compositions, the pacing, the timbres, the use of echoes, the mixing of the instruments and most of all the dark heavyheartedness that just oozes with dispirited melancholy and elegiac lament. This is simply in the top tier of UNIVERS ZERO recordings and one that should not be missed for true fans of this sombre musical chimera.

I must admit I was shocked when I heard that Berckmans, Chevalier and Kirk were not going to be on this album but then UNIVERS ZERO has always seemed to be a band in constant change. I read an interview with band leader Daniel Denis who said the lineup had to change for this album or he would have stopped the band because it was time for a change. The biggest difference in UZ's sound on this latest record is the guitar, not that there hasn't been guitar on previous albums because there has, but not like this where it's such a big part of the sound. It's odd that there is no accordion, aboe, english horn, strings of any kind, glockenspiel or bassoon. The music is what i'd describe as melancholic and Chamber-like but it's certainly not without the darkness and powerful sections. Lots of horns as we get clarinet and sax along with some guest trombone and trumpet. This has been a huge surprise for me because I rate this in my top three already behind "Heatwave" and "Uzed".

"Shaking Hats" has this determined beat of drums bass and piano as the clarinet plays over top. It turns dark before 2 minutes with some inventive guitar expressions. Great section! A calm with piano only follows then the clarinet and more join in. More guitar 4 1/2 minutes in as it becomes more powerful and it's quite dark here. Back to that opening sound after 7 minutes followed by a silent calm before sparse piano then clarinet arrive quietly to end it. "Reve Mecanique" is led by piano and horns early on in this mid-paced beauty. It turns fuller before 3 minutes but then calms right down and some marching styled drums join in as it builds. It's heavier 4 1/2 minutes in and I like the trumpet 5 minutes in. Back to the piano and clarinet then sax at 8 1/2 minutes as it continues to plod along, love this stuff. "Tres Affables" is melancholic with piano and clarinet to start. It picks up some and it's a little fuller too. A lighter sound takes over after a minute but those melancholic sections will come and go as well. Some nice piano melodies after 4 1/2 minutes. It's cool the way themes are repeated in this one.

"Vocation" has this piano intro with cymbals as affects and more slowly join in as it builds. It's quiet again after a minute as deep sounds come and go then some evil sounding guitar arrives after 2 1/2 minutes. It lightens up again late. "Les Voleurs D'ombre" and the title track are my favourites. This one has this rhythm that sort of sways as the clarinet plays over top, very cool. Guitar before 2 minutes and it's in the angular style. It will come and go and man this sounds so good. Lots of intrcate sounds 4 minutes in and some dissonant horns as well will follow. A change 5 minutes in as it becomes dark and quiet then it kicks in before 6 1/2 minutes and again I love the guitar. It's intense 8 1/2 minutes in to the end. "Lespoir Perdu" is mainly relaxed horns and marching styled drums. "Phosphorescent Dreams" features horns that blast away then some guitar joins in before 1 1/2 minutes. We get horns and guitar only then the horns stop blasting before 3 minutes as the keyboards and guitar lead the way. Horns are back before 4 1/2 minutes. It turns dark before 7 minutes with piano only then bass clarinet and drums take over. It's still dark. Guitar before 9 1/2 minutes as it's turning brighter, piano too. It's dark and heavy before 10 1/2 minutes again.

I am so impressed not only with this recording but with Daniel Denis and all the music this band has created since the seventies. Not worthy!