MAGMA

Not to be overly dramatic, but when I placed my order for this cd I actually had some hopes and fears in regards to this album. It had the potential to be the greatest post 70's MAGMA release, or to be a flop in the scope of their "Merci" album from 1984. All of these conflicting thoughts were based on the press releases I read, along with other sources. My hopes were based on the fact that this was supposed to be the final MAGMA album and as such it should have been beyond epic. This is MAGMA after all.

Now they clearly had a change of heart and released the much better "Kartehl" in 2022. "Zess" would have been a very disappointing way to end their careers. To quote Christian Vander "Zess is the story of the end of everything. The end of time and of everything that has ever existed. Absolute oblivion, like a dreamless night. It feels like nothing ever existed, nor will it ever exist again. All forms of consciousness have vanished." So yes this had the potential to be this dark and powerful apocalyptic recording with the focus on the instrumental. One hope right there.

Another hope was that "Zess" as a composition has been around since the 70's and for me that was hopeful. Yes it was never a completed piece, and created during the "Attahk" sessions. But played live often in it's various forms. So here Vander ties a bow on it and presents it to us in it's completed form. Starting in the spring of 1979 it became a staple of their live shows until they put it aside in 1983. They would return to it in 1992 but with an acoustic version, then again in 2005 with their 35th anniversary celebrations, and a full electric version at that time.

As far as the fears go, number one was reading that Christian was going to be the main singer and so brought in Morgan Agren to be the drummer here(there's drums on here?). Now I had no fear that Morgan was replacing Christian on the drums, my fear was that with Vander being the singer that he would dominate. And he does. This is "Merci" all over again where Vander decided to be the singer, giving up the drums, and the result was an album in 1984 that shouldn't even be part of their discography. "Merci" should have been part of Christian's side project OFFERING which I think he realised after the fact and why OFFERING was created 2 years after "Merci" was released. An outlet for those vocal dominated, soulish/jazzy tunes.

I also feared about the orchestra being involved. I do get it though because I do feel like "Zess"as a composition is lacking. An orchestra might cover this somewhat. It doesn't. It's one long 38 minute piece of music divided into seven parts. And this is vocal driven with sparse instrumentation save for the orchestra's involvement. I'm really disappointed with the music, but also I must admit that MAGMA has become somewhat of a comfort thing to me over the years. So just hearing this album all last week was nice, despite my fears being realized and my hopes crushed(haha).

The packaging could not be any better. A media book is like a mini book with lots of pictures and information. There's even some english for a change. I like how they show the instruments of all involved with their names attached to it. No pictures of the musicians or singers themselves. Kind of cool, even with the orchestra the picture is of all these chairs littered with violins etc. So the focus is on the instruments they play, not the person themselves. I like that.

This could have been something. Instead it's a vocal dominated record that sounds nothing like the end of the universe.

Masterpiece for zeuhl, but not for kohntarkosz. I know this sounds strange. Me, as a magma fan/collector, definitely love how the album sounds. Mad and bizarre as magma always... But for the concept, what is the album all about??? After the legendary Kohntarkosz and K.A had released, this album, which main plot is a mummy revived and took place of a fella's brain and built his own era, has become the third part of kohntarkosz. How? The concept's absolutely unacceptable for me. Not because it's darker than KA, but its design and theme. Seeing a kobaian Egypt and an alien mummy is not a good view. From my own perspective, it is definitely not "The third mouvement of Kohntarkosz trilogy". I'd rather have it dual.

The marvelous kohntark. For a long time, I haven't been able to enjoy this album. I started listening to Electric Prog, and I wasn't interested in this style of album, and I didn't have the patience to listen to it completely. However, after getting into more accessible classics like Eskaton and bondage fruit, I started to find the album interesting. Part I sounds grandiose, like the beginning of a story, which sets the motives for the rest of the narrative. After I completely chewed on the two songs on the A-side, I started listening to the B-side. And from the time I heard the second part, all the themes and emotions that the album wanted to convey came out from the tense and violent drum beat. This emotional climax continues until the end of the song. Finally, the album closes with a requiem in honor of John Coltrane. All things remain in peace. For me. this is the perfect ending of this album. Masterpiece for all prog listeners.

The closest album to Kohntarkosz and M.D.K. An essential for all prog-rock lovers. MAGMA's 30 years' deposit finally created this wonderful masterpiece. The album's seen as a prequel of the very famous "kohntarkosz". Which has some shadows of that album. The harmonic and instrumental renditions are very much like the ones in the seventies, but the difference is, with the support of modern recording techs, what you get is incredibly clear sound and enormous details. Not only that, but with the boon of CD and the later released "supervinyl", these characteristics are able to bring out their best advantages. Definitely amazing to listen and easy to appreciate.

The Greatest Zeuhl Album of All Time.

To those who don't appreciate this album and had a one-star rate, I felt absolutely pity for that. This is the kind of masterpiece that prog lovers MUST ACKNOWLEDGED. You can't deny It makes massive contribute to the whole history of zeuhl.

As long as I got the original album, I was astonished by the huge golden spaceship logo on the sleeve and marvelous printing. On the back was some tracklists and credits as well as a brief description. Inside was a huge gatefold inner with a story the album tells so you can understand what they are actually playing. The design is very clean and tidy, which is pleasing and can't help but looking to it. 4.5/5

The album sounds astonishing too. Not to say the recording is good. With vocals filling the entire album, they constructed an epic chapter of Theusz Hamtaahk. The songs on A side as well as the others are strung together without pause, just like the other rock opera albums... The A side sounds kinda bizarre and not much serious, which is hard to chew and tasteless for the Earthmen but delicious for the kobaians. The third track was my favorite (Though I like them all) for it's outstanding vocals and drums. However, when it comes to the B side, things gone different. The atmosphere and rhythm suddenly became rapid and tense. Madness and Anger tear everything around, unknown roar and heart-rending shouts fill up your ears, consuming your sanity. And at last, all the emotions were relieved. The soft and powerful music makes you imagine the end of the legendary epic. I have goosebumps when heard "Nebëhr Gudahtt" every time. Magma truly built up a dark universe which is full of hatred, fantasies and Danger. Absolute 5/5.

Do you know why bands like ZAO, Bondage Fruit, Eskaton plays zeuhl so well? Because they are all kobaians! And honestly, I'm already kobaian. I don't speak to Earthmen :)

I love magma, all the power of the chords and the timbre look's like other world. i started to look for prog albums after hear the close to the edge, and after listen more than 200 albums, i found in Magma probally a closer sensation to that one i get when i was listering the yes,in K.A and M.D.K, despite the difference of the sound MEKANÏK KOMMANDÖH is great, but this is just another version of "Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh", M.D.K. is probally the best album of Magma, and as it is another version have the same elements that make M.D.K. soo good, that make this a really nice thing to hear, but dont have a reason to hear that version instead the original, its like a downgrade of the mix, just dont get the same atmosphere, and all the power of the original

Oh boy, my 300th review! Like my 100th, and 200th review, I elected to review an album from my top 10 list. You know, to share my opinion on what I believe to be the best of the best in terms of music. And today, the lucky 3rd place in my favorites of music goes to Magma's own 3rd place, that being Mekanïk Destruktïẁ Kommandöh, or MDK as I will call it throughout the rest of this review.

Now as with Yes and Genesis, I have a bit of a personal history with Magma, maybe a tad too personal. I won't go too much into my history with the band, but in late 2021 I was flat out obsessed with the group. I practically listened to any album they have released that was available on Spotify, just being entranced in their weird and wacky world of zeuhl music. I have more than cooled down in my obsession with the band after a bit, but every now and then I will go back to their music with open ears. Truth be told, I still absolutely love this band no matter what, I will continue to love it, and, on top of that, I will forever see MDK as the magnum opus of weird progressive rock music.

Unlike my previous reviews of these masterpieces, which all had at least one large epic that bumped up my feelings for the record considerably, MDK, in its whole, IS the epic. It's one of those albums where it is one large song, just split into multiple songs. Honestly speaking, I think MDK is the best at this front, and this ain't bias talking. I genuinely think the record nails the whole effort of making an album long song. Each track on here has their own charms, and their own climatic effects on my psyche that, on their own, they excel on every aspect of what I crave in zeuhl music. But, as a whole, these songs manage to create a whole experience that is magical.

The instrumentation and vocals are also just immaculate. You have the lovingly weird Kobaïan vocals and methods that the singers, mainly Christian Vander, promotes. The brassy, almost apocalyptic sounds that zeuhl has in the dozens. And a general flow throughout each track that makes the music feel all the more conceptually inclined. While I know many may find these sounds to be a bit too weird, I think that is the charm Magma rightfully holds. They may not be as weird as, say, Art Zoyd or even their Japanese little brother of Ruins, but Magma owns their refined avant-gardeness with pride. They care not for conventions of rock or jazz music, nor do they care for if they will ever appear on a radio ever. The only thing they care about is making the weirdest, most trippy experiences possible, and also to refine them into more interesting sounds.

This is evident as to how this record came out after their second record of 1001 Degrés Centigrades, which, while still zeuhl, was a lot more based in jazz fusion and a more traditional rock flow. However, MDK explores a sound that fits way better into the vision of what zeuhl should be, a more orchestral, brass based version of what they did before. It all evolves into something that I think firmly is within its own thing, and I fully believe it works perfectly. This is a once in a lifetime record, since everything just fits together with zero hang ups or different expectations. You aren't gonna get jazz fusion, at least not in a traditional sense, nor a traditional prog rock, or jazz rock experience. You are gonna get ZEUHL. MDK is zeuhl in its purest state. It is the absolute zero in this amazing and weird musical genre, the basis if you will.

It is not a surprise that Vander is proud of this record, as he practically remakes it whenever he can in live shows, his own records, and or even releasing an older version of the music in the 90s. I'd be too if I made something this good. While I do think the live albums are a discussion for another day, MDK in a live setting works just as well as the studio version. The versions of MDK on Retrospektïw, Magma Reims 1976, and Trilogie Au Trianon are my favorites, maybe I might consider them masterpieces in their own rights too. My personal favorite is the one from Retrospektïw, as it has this bass solo from Bernard Paganotti that has a bit of a call back to De Futura, another s-tier Magma track. Not only that, but it also has that amazing opening that feels so dramatic and heavy, that it turns MDK into not only a musical expression for me, but a full blown epic.

I could go on all day, though I think I'd be scraping the bottom of the barrel for my love on this record if I continued any further. Where Close To The Edge made me fully fall in love with progressive rock music, and Foxtrot made me fall in love with the epics they propose, MDK is where my love of the different, more avant-sides of the progressive rock house fully bloomed into a point of no return. Of course, I fully believe everyone should at least listen to this album once, as it is just amazing. I love Magma with my whole heart, and I doubt that love will waver throughout my life. If it ever does, then I probably got brainwashed.

There is no prog, only zeuhl.

Best tracks: All of them

Worst tracks: N/A

4.5 stars! It's a magma-quality album, what else do I have to say?

At first I didn't really like the idea of listening to an album from 30 years after the band's apogee, but now I absolutely love it, especially part 1, with its awesome bass lines, and part 2. This album is really engaging because of its more clear sound thanks to the new technologies used, plus it's still magma! I also find that it's an easier album to listen to compared to M.D.K. because of the lack of "shouting", which in my opinion is a bit harder to get into, but once you've listened to the album for some 20 times you begin to miss them.

Overall I've really enjoyed this album and I highly recommend listening to it!

I have enjoyed listening to this album so much this past week. I connected with it right away despite it being vocal heavy along with that optimistic and joyful vibe throughout. It comes as advertised and I'm just surprised at how much I like this. I found it interesting that they released the dark and intense "Emehntehtt-Re" in 2009 and three years later followed it up with the joyful and optimistic "Felicite Thosz" in 2012. In 2019 they release the dark "Zess" and three years later in 2022 release this one the happy "Kartehl".

There's a beautiful tribute from Christian Vander in the liner notes to his old departed friend Rene Garber who passed in 2015. He mentions about thinking of him a lot during these recordings but also how his presence inspired him. "You were always there close to me, breathing energy, inspiration and spirit into me... and into every bar of MAGMA's music."

The one song on here that keeps me from rating this higher than 4 stars is the commercial sounding closer "Dehnde" and it's from 1978 originally sung by Garber while he also played piano and that demo is a bonus track on here. Here Christian sings and in his tribute he mentions this hoping his old friend will like it. The first time I heard it I was actually mad because it's the closer and it's the most commercial sounding MAGMA song I've ever heard. I don't mind it now but it sticks out like a sore thumb when compared to the rest. And I don't want to be too critical as proceeds of this song go to "Fondation Initiative Autisme" to quote the liner notes.

I am such a fan of wordless vocals and that's really the appeal for me here along with Vander's still powerful drumming skills. The drums sound so good, so crisp as he hits them with authority. an eleven piece band here with Bussonnet getting the boot apparently and Jimmy Top taking the bass role. Son of Jannick. I like when I hear him he's got a growly tone but the seems to go missing for long periods. Great to have Simon Goubert here on keyboards along with Thierry Eliez who does the same.

Goubert composed my favourite track on here called "Wii Melehn Tu". I especially like the start with those strange vocal sounds. Like fast-paced gibberish really but it's so cool sounding. Love when the drums and electric piano come in as it builds. I'ma fan of all of these songs really but I also really like "Walomehndem Warrei" a lot. At first the music swells and falls back until dark piano lines arrive along with wordless vocals then drums to the fore. I like the bass 2 minutes in and the overall sound after 3 minutes. Such a great track. Oh and the bass dominates after 6 minutes.

And while we get a lot of vocals on this record we also get plenty of incredible instrumental work to balance things. This is a solid 4 stars for me despite the questionable closer. There's a really nice picture of the band but I'm not sure who the kid is at the back, oh that's Jimmy! Did I mention Stella Vander produced this album?

Review #161!

Magma had already introduced their wild genius to the world with Kobaia, and even further cemented it with 1001 Centigrades. But their freak flags were still not entirely unraveled. The wind had not yet reached the flag, leaving it still. But this album was a tempest for Magma's creativity. The flag shook every which way and it produced this eclectic masterpiece. With hints of jazz, prog, straight rock, blues, opera, gospel, and folk, this record offers a blend of genres from all sides of the musicsphere. A masterpiece of prog, zeuhl, technical song structures, and music as a whole. Prog on.