MÖRGLBL

So, personally for me, I don't hear the similarity to Holdsworth here because the guitar styles are quite different. But the Progressive Metal influence is definitely there. The meters are definitely not standard, the guitar work is excellent and the little jazz surprises are cool. But it tends to lean towards the metal side than anything. I also find that the music is probably closer to 'Liquid Tension Experiment', but even that is not quite right, because I can feel more dynamic and uniqueness in Morglbl's overall sound. Many compare the guitar playing to Steve Vai, and while Godin is in the same league, his style is so much more varied and dynamic where Vai's solo work can begin to sound too much the same. The riffs are excellent and definitely in the Progressive Metal style being several steps above the more standard style of metal.

The first 5 tracks are guitar heavy progressive metal style tracks and really only have short sections that move away from the regular heaviness and somewhat technical guitar solos with heavy riffs and not really that much jazz. The real semblance of jazz comes in the 6th track 'La Lepre a Elise' which has a good mix of a more toned down jazz with effects combined with the heavy and quirky metal all with an undertone of funkiness, similar to 'Buckethead'. More variety like this would have been welcome. 'Panzer Kokotier' features a fast tropical feel with a good mix of jazz and metal. This track has the style that I was hoping for, fast guitar, fast jazz flair, playing around with styles and a smart melodic line. The remaining tracks continue in the same vein, heavy progressive guitar with a few short mellow breaks.

This album is good for lovers of guitar heavy progressive metal without any vocals and lots of crazy guitar solos. The production is great, and so is the musicianship. I just tend to lose interest in the same way I would with albums that are full of technical guitar solos. No doubt that there is better musicianship than in your typical guitar god album, but there just isn't enough variety for my taste. I love the heaviness, but I need something else to keep my interest going. Disregarding that though, I can easily consider this a 4 star album because it is done very well and the musicianship is stellar.

Stylistically and tecnhically the trio remained at the same, if not higher level of their debut: Sudden changes, sound distortions and complex themes with a Prog/Fusion edge.The humurous picture of the three bandmates on the front cover shows the other aspect of Mörglbl, who always wrap their virtuosic music with humurous edges in some tunes or wordless vocals.However after two years the group did not escape from the influences of their senior release, offering a Fusion amalgam extremely similar to LIQUID TENSIOD EXPERIMENT or the heavier side of DREAM THEATER minus the keyboard parts.Not necessarilly a bad thing, but melodies and original ideas become scarce in a work, that lacks personality.Endless self-indulgent individual performances, numerous shredding guitar riffs and some very technical textures make ''Bienvenue à Mörglbl land'' a very hard listening at a real professional level, where emotion or true passion seem to be absent.The nervous delivery becomes boring along the way and the music occurs as cold and mechanical.Diversity is also an absent word in the album.Solos, riffs and complex lines are exchanging but fail to thrill the listener.

Complex but emotionless and monotonous Jazz/Heavy Rock, which can be an incredible lesson for instrumental enthusiasts, but I doubt it will be really appreciated by fans outside these interests...2.5 stars.

Here you will have an hour of excellent music, progressive rock with heavy moments and evident jazz hints, the songs oscillate in the 5- 6 minute mark, so be prepared and enjoy. It opens with "Gnocchis on the Block" and well, if you previously know them, you will recognize their distinctive guitar sound since the very first notes. I love how the music never ceases, I mean they have always something to say, and that is wonderful in this musical realm.

The musicianship is evident in all their songs, an a perfect example of how the three of them gather their abilities to create top-nocht tracks is "Brutal Romance", though the guitar is probably what will catch your attention first, bass and drums always build the perfect complement, so all of them are equally important. "Le Surfer d'Argentine" makes more evident the talent of the guitar man and his wonderful riffs, but as I mentioned, it would not function if bass and drums weren't there.

"Golden Ribs" is for a few seconds the longest track here. You know, that inherent heavy rock with some metal slices, but without being metal itself. The drums are always constant and the bass in moments addictive. "Fidel Gastro" has a rockier and jazzier sound with a more friendly style reminiscent to some 70s bands, and also to some of those G3 men. "Oh P1 Can Not Be" shares power since the first seconds and it is progressing little by little, but what I like more are their changes while the music is running, so the compositional skills speak for themselves.

"Cantal Goyave" has for the first time (in my opinion) in the album that humoristic touch the band implements to their music, however it is not that evident as in their Grotesk album. "Glucids in the Sky" has a superb bass offering, the lines are wonderful, maybe my favorites from the whole album. Guitars and drums are excellent as usual. "Wig of Change" follows with the previous style, with the great compositions and challenging arrangements, and also with the humor, the example are the song titles.

The last two songs are "Metal Khartoom" and "11 Casse", in the first one we can appreciate once again their skills, and remember some metal jazz acts and again, some G3 moments; the second is the shortest of the album, begins relaxed and its intensity increases little by little. It is a nice way to close the album. And it is a very excellent album that deserves at least 8 out of 10.

Enjoy it!

This is a good album but does not have the immediate impact of 'Grotesk', which had a consistent run of excellent and instantly memorable tunes. But still the new one grows on me with repeated play, since whilst having fewer stand-out tunes the consistent whole is well above average. But the fact is 'Jazz ' doesn't grab me as much as 'Grotesk', perhaps because (ironically) there is less jazz/jazz fusion and more emphasis towards the metal side of their playing - the new drummer?? However, this record isn't jazz-free using with the old trick of the early jazz-rockers: play the main part of the song as rock but the instrumentals as jazz . Everybody who's heard my Morglbl albums, have commented on Godin being Vai-like, but I hear the Holdsworthian breaks too combined with heaps of originality, so don't accuse him being a Vai-clone. But then I don't get the Primus (thereby the Les Claypool?) connection - I don't hear it in the albums or samples found on You Tube. Ivan Rougny on electric bass, is a much different sort of bass-playing virtuso - freer and jazzier.

Having said all that, a superior jazz fusion going metal album, but not the one to start discovering Mörglbl.

3 and half going 4 star

This album is very interesting and refreshing and cool and can be appriciated by almost anyone who likes music.

4/5

What a wonderful album and why did it take me so long to find it - why did it take me so long to find Morglbl? Grotesk is one of those rare albums that has hardly been off the home and car CD players since I received it about 6 weeks ago from Amazon, (early December 2008). The only fault I can find: the record should be longer - but there is 'Toons Tunes' to explore.

So what got me, and admittedly most of my friends who I allowed a chance to sample the record? Morglbl (pronounced 'Morgalball'?), a trio of French musicians have produced an excellent fusion of jazz rock, metal shred, great hooks, Gallic humour (both in daft, scat lyrics, and their choice of tunes/arrangements - for instance I guess we given a couple of French folk songs duly treated), all played very well, very tightly and often with evident and infectious urgency. I don't think there is one duff tune, and besides, unlike a lot of jazz fusion, many of the tunes here have that grey whistle test factor - these are memorable. One guitarist friend felt the lead playing was influenced by Steve Vai, but I hear those Holdsworthian touches slipped in too. The sense of fun is enhanced further with the instruments being made to talk to each other, so a conversation seems to impromptually breakout midway through a couple of tunes - a practice more common in straight jazz than jazz rock, surely? And as to the PA label 'eclectic', personally I believe those pundits must refering to the first two albums, now available as the twoforone already mentioned, Toons Tunes From The Past.

Grotesk answers Zappa's question: is the humo(u)r in music?, and with a resounding YES! Would you expect otherwise once you've seen the artwork on the CD insert?

If you enjoy this then you will enjoy the compilation of their two earlier albums plus outtakes, issued by Laser Edge Records, Toons Tunes From The Past. Btw why do so many independent American labels make the effort to release European acts, too often ignored at home?

4.5 star - higher later if I find Grotesk can't be played to death..................