MAGMA

The late 1970s and early 1980s were a tough time for prog-rock. Disco was king, punk was hot and new-wave was on the horizon. Many great prog bands broke up (E.L.P. and VdGG, for example). Others tried to change with the times (E.L.O., Gentle Giant, Genesis etc...), often infuriating hard-core fans. Magma ultimately did both. "Attahk" would be Magma's last album of new original material for several years.

This album is often bashed by hardcore Magma fans, however it contains all of the elements that made Magma so interesting: a great rhythm section with bizarre vocals and prog-rock flourishes. The musicianship is great and the piano, bass and drums really drive the music.

Yes, the album does lag a little bit in the middle, but it gets off to a great start with "The Last Seven Minutes", which is downright funky. "Spiritual" is a bit of gospel flavored fun. "Rindae" is very slow and plodding, and is just okay. "Lirik Nekronomicus Kahnt" is a funky, fusion jam with complicated and bizarre vocals. Closing out the album are "Mahnt", "Dondai" and "Nono". "Mahnt" is fun and frenetically paced. "Dondai" is mid-tempo and has a nice groove to it. "Nono" builds up to a frantic pace, has a catchy chant and closes the album in style.

"Attahk" is not a cohesive album which flows seamlessly or hangs on a single concept like many of Magma's other albums. However, most of the songs taken on their own are very good and a lot of fun. This writer still feels that this album is very enjoyable and is funkier than anything Magma has ever done before...or since. While this album may not be among the very best that Magma has to offer, it is still quite good...especially if one considers how many of their British, Italian and American counterparts were in decline in the late 1970s. "Attahk" does not sound like a band in decline, rather it sounds more like an exploration of new territory. Unfortunately the market for this album was pretty slim. Hardcore Magma fans abandoned it, while it was not nearly mainstream enough to attract new fans. However, from the music to the H.R. Giger album cover, this listener considers it a minor masterpiece. 4 stars easily...

You've probably heard the story before: Magma is a tough band to swallow at first. I've had a hard time trying to "get" their music. My first album of theirs was Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh and, to be honest, I didn't understand what was happening. The vocals were too grating, the beat was too repetitive and the music sounded too chaotic. Magma scared me. It took me a lot of time to understand what they were doing, years, to be a bit more precise. But one day it clicked. I don't know how to explain it. One day I played it and it all made sense. The jazz-rock, that I didn't even realized at first because of the shock of all the music, grooved throughout the whole album and I was chanting gibberish and dancing all the way until the end. The chaos in their sound started to take form and everything, even the vocals, were necessary for it to click. The repetition made it all more intense and engaging (it'll grab you, alright, and it won't let you go.) Before I knew it I was downloading albums like crazy. I was hooked on Magma like a junkie. To be fair, some albums weren't as good, but I still went through.

But if you, reader, want to get into Magma, don't do as I did, don't start with MDK. Heck! Start with K.A., since everything sounds so crisp, pounding, aggressive compared to the studio version of MDK. But if you really want to know what all the MDK fuss is about, then you should do yourself a favor a get this live album. MDK is a beast! For starters, the studio version of MDK gives more importance to the orchestration and it drowns the sound of the band. In Retrospektiw the sound is evenly balanced. The rhythm section, which is the driving force behind Magma, sounds crystal clear and up front. This is the important thing here and it does make a difference, since THEY are the band, not the orchestra. The music sounds more organic and less polished, though not less tight. Magma needs to sound gritty for it to be effective. The other composition, Theusz Hamtaahk, is no less interesting, though it is a bit less explosive. The middle section of Theusz will put you in a trance and you'll end up nodding your head without even knowing it.

All in all, this live album is a must for Magma fans and for people trying to get into 70's Magma. Considering that you're knowing what you're getting yourself into, this album will deliver, and how it delivers!

4.5, but I'd rather give it a 5 than a 4. It deserves it, and you deserve this album, too.

It's rare for a band who has been performing for 40 years to be able to put an album which at once remains true to their preceding work and at the same time manages to sound fresh and new. This is what Magma have accomplished on Félicité Thösz; whilst the distinctive rhythms characteristic of zeuhl remain bubbling away under the surface here and there, the main focus of this album is on the vocal performances, which offer up one of the happiest atmospheres ever to grace a Magma album.

This is not a frivolous, giggly happiness so much as a sense of deep personal and spiritual accomplishment; this, and the mixture of male and female vocals and French and Kobaian lyrics, tend to make me think that this is not a Magma saga about peril or conflict between Earth and Kobaia (as in Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh), but is instead a celebration of some important achievement, perhaps a particular enlightenment attained by the human colonists on Kobaia or the attainment of peace between the two worlds or a romance between a man and a woman each from a different planet which eventually comes to a triumphant fruition or something like that. Either way, it's an intriguing piece, thoroughly road-tested and elegantly recorded, with a fairly restrained running time to boot. It's still distinctly zeuhl, but it might also be one of the most pleasant and approachable albums the band have ever recorded.

It's kind of sad I don't appreciate this album. There are many an occasion I find the oddball albums being very pleasant but that isn't the case with Merci. The overall feel of the album is messy and confused. I can appreciate what I think is the main idea behind the album, making music quite accessible and thus reaching a wider audience. However, I do not appreciate the end result. It's not all bad, that's hardly the case with musical brilliance, as evident on basically all other albums. Theres sparks on here, sparks that glisten but after a spin you find yourself unimpressed and unattentive. Merci do not have the power to hook you and keep you locked in the experience until it's over. Merci is kind of Magma goes Asia. It really mustn't be a bad thing but it's certainly not a good one.

Vocally bombastic and instrumentally mysterious, Félicité Thösz transmits the listener through a wintry, dreamlike world of sound. It is dramatic, punchy, and strangely uplifting. The medium is quite homogenous, but the moods are gloriously diverse.

"Félicité Thösz" The ubiquitous piano is stellar, a phenomenal adhesive binding the album together. The operatic vocals sound almost like Christmastime, and yet convey a darker sense of urgency coupled with a triumphant joy. "Nüms" is the melodic highlight, with an effervescent counterpoint, showcasing an inviting male vocal. "Tëha" that follows offers the climatic feminine vocal, and it's difficult to not feel elevated. And "Waahrz" is a piano interlude that rivals Rick Wakeman's performance in the middle of Yes's "Turn of the Century."

"Les hommes sont venus" Delightfully repetitive, this carol serves as something of a postlude to the excellent collection of segments that makes up the main substance of the album.

Beginning like an ANDREW LLOYD-WEBER musical doesn't hurt this piece by Zeuhlmeisters, MAGMA. As 'dark' or heavy at it tries to be, the whole thing comes across more as a Dickensian Christmas play written by STEPHEN SCHWARTZ and/or BURT BACHARACH. Awesome bass play, as usual, very melodic piano and perfect drumming from founder CHRISTIAN VANDER help carry this operetta, but it is the wonderful, delicately woven vocal performances that the listener has a chance to really tune into. The lack of hard driving, mega-pulsing music and power vocals is, as a matter of fact, quite unexpected. Yes, the album is brief (by modern standards), but 37 minutes is right in line with a typical vinyl album (unless you are Todd Rundgren). Though the album is really meant to be played straight through?and I love all of the songs here?I must admit to really enjoying putting "Teha" (5:15) (10/10) on repeat ad infinitum. As a matter of fact, the first five songs all flow together seamlessly, flawlessly, beautifully. The most Broadway of all, however, is "Ohst" (4:53) (10/10) with the bouncy piano and the voice of the Maestro, himself; CHRISTIAN VANDER is brilliant, astounding! I mean, how old is this guy? Playing off of HERVÉ AKNIN, it is quite a song. Even the end is very Broadway-like?like the ending to a song from Fiddler on the Roof or something.

I have to admit that hearing an upbeat, positive sounding album from such masters of melodrama is quite an unexpected experience, but it is an entirely enjoyable one.

Another masterpiece? I can't see this little beauty as anything less. 5 stars.

"Kohntarkosz" is the way I like my Magma served up; dark and uninviting with mournful choirs and soundscapes of irregularity laid on the cold slab. As we approach the altar, Magma draw us in with subterranean caverns of strings and keyboards. The subversive music is guaranteed to alienate many listeners and therein lies it's power. This may be one of the darker more intense albums from the Zeuhl oddballs, and it is a delight from beginning to end. As a followup to "Mekanik Destruktiw Kommando" it delivers on almost every level. The non-sensical alien Kobaian language is never underplayed, the music is brutally off the scale, and the choral voices resonate powerfully with textures of beauty that launch un- expectantly into a mouthful of screeches.

The epic title track is incredibly bleak and yet strangely uplifting in all its transfixing dissonance. This centrepiece to the album is nothing new to my ears as I have heard it many times on the "Live" album. It is missing the raw edges in the studio but still manages to captivate. The music undulates and twists with darkened tones emanating from full blown choirs and sound blasts that jolt the listener into submission under the spell. The relentless exploration of musical form is entrancing, and Magma realise that one becomes good at something by doing it over and over, not by thinking about it. Indeed, much of the music seems improvised as are the vocals but they are sung in sync so somebody must have sheet music to this strange cacophony of sound. The 2 part epic is an amazing tapestry of colour and form, of broad-brush organisational musicianship and the obsessive minutiae of lyrical interpretation. Christian Vander's visionary perception lands clean out of the box as always, and this is the most endearing aspect of the music.

The second track, 'Ork Alarm', is horrific with piercing violin serrations and manic guitar squeals over a staccato percussion. There is a counterpoint of monosyllabic vocal intonations that are oppressive and very unsettling. This is Magma, folks! The final piece 'Coltrane Sundia' has tinkling piano, and nuances of beauty to end the album on a more uplifting note. This brings the listener out of the oppressive atmosphere on a ray of hope; the tale of Kobaian folklore cemented by a convoluted plot. The chronicle tells of an ancient mystic Köhntarkösz', who enters the tomb of the Ancient sage Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré, a master who attempted to find immortality but dies trying. While in the tomb Köhntarkösz is given a heavenly (Kobaian) vision showing him the revealed secrets of the master. None of these secrets are revealed to the average being but must be revealed within as enlightenment occurs. The chronicle would continue on albums to follow and would become more complex until the tale was discarded totally.

"Kohntarkosz" is a unique feat of imagination executed with prodigious artistry and virtuoso skill. The sheer exuberance in the music is a crucial factor that transcends mere understanding of the form; the surreal music speaks for itself and does not need to be interpreted literally. Magma always seems to prompt a re- evaluation of the meaning of music if it is meant to have any meaning at all. It is the emotional resonance that counts, as the music operates on a different level that defies the norm; a veritable stream of consciousness. The serpentine waves of musical patterns have an indigenous, almost primal quality of tribal culture that stirs the soul.

The mythology encased in the music is enigmatic, scattered in a myriad of directions and the listener can do the interpretation in their head. The music is sculpted in layers of polarised vocals that never make sense out of context but seem to make sense in the Magma realm while the album is playing. Magma overturns virtually every accepted notion of musical convention and presents an album of intense labyrinthine confusion. On subsequent listens the whole becomes an immersive experience that is easier to digest, but it takes superfluous patience as you wander down the isolated hallways of a subversive museum; a stark antithesis of the real, replaced by an outlandish mythological paradigm.

Relaxing, mesmirising, dreamy... but where are the dark shockwaves of irregularity?

New Magma! That is irresistible. Not since that other previous album beginning and ending in E have we been blessed with the madcap genius of Christian Vander and his merry band of Kobaian misfits. As all Magmanites who approach this album, I guess we would all be expecting more delirious insanity in the form of Ancient alien monk chants, high pitched screeches, operatic choral vocals, majestic cinematic musicianship, and non-sensical alien Kobaian languages. If that is what you are expecting, then you might assume this album would be enveloped with the same sound that Magma have generated since their debut and the infamous MDK, that has developed an elite cult following for decades. However 'Felicite Thosz' does have variations that may or may not appeal. Firstly, it is a very short album clocking only 32:24, but that is no problem as far as I am concerned as it is easy to take Magma in small bursts, in order to retain their power and not overstay their welcome. Still, it would have been nice to have some more Magma even if they were live or bonus tracks, to give more bang for the buck.

I guess it is unfriendly music at times so not something to revel in for hours, unless you are addicted to Zeuhl. This is a prog genre that is best served chilled on a plate after listening to normal music. Only by being familiar with the normal can we be entranced by the sub-normal. Nothing shocks when one is desensitised, and it is easy to become desensitised to the macabre or hyper strange. This music is on the fringe certainly, though I don't believe it is taken to the Nth degree, as it is framed in a specific style that never diverts from the genre it is cocooned within. There is something rather comforting in the fact that the music is housed within its own conventions, thus the power in the music is retained. Had the band moved into a mainstream style, with normal song structures, English lyrics, or even more conventional vocal performances, this in itself would be the most shocking diversion of all. It would alienate listeners and create its own form of chaos. The main drawcard to Magma is to spend some precious moments captured under their spell. It can be a dark journey, and indeed has been over the years, but on this latest album Magma opt to return to some of their more angelic compositions, albeit the atmosphere is still oppressive in places but overall there is an uplifting air of optimism in the atmosphere. Again, this may or may not appeal to Magma addicts. Only in a few places do they return to those darkened wails and sporadic musical shapes creating a powerful wall of sound.

I would suggest that Magma are a musical art form rather than a band. Not all modern art appeals to everyone, in fact it confronts and repels at times, and that stops it from becoming dull, causing us to question its existence. Likewise, if Magma appealed to everyone it would be boring. It is the fact that the music causes us to question and fascinates that it becomes so captivating. For it to be Magma, the constants must always be there, but there are nice variations to look forward to. For example, every album features different artists and there are always choirs, a plethora of musicians and singers that vary from album to album. The one constant is the frenetic drumming and cringe-worthy intonations of Christian Vander, also on keyboards. His wife, Stella, is a constant presence too, who smacks the casing off a tambourine, and it is always a treat to hear her high pitched warblings. The rest of the crew consist of Isabelle Feuillebois who dongs bells, Beno't Alziary, chiming on the vibraphone, James Mac gaw twanging guitar, Bruno Ruder plinking the piano, Philippe Bussonnet slapping the bass, and the other Kobaian vocals are courteousy of Isabelle, Herve, Sandrine, Sylvie, and Marcus. Most of these artists appeared on 2009's ''Emmehntehtt-Re', though again not all. The Magma logo is the final constant that must be there and it is pleasing to see that iconic broken claw like moniker glaring at us on the darkened cover, that boasts the Kobaian title in white hot lettering. The logo is a warning that this album is not designed for the normal music listener. All listeners of top 40 commercial radio hit singles may do well to steer clear, for Magma is an off- ramp detour from the mainstream highway.

The album opens with that captivating sound that immediately transfixes. The epic choirs chant in the estranged language, and the symphonic textures flood over the listener. The voices will jolt listeners out of their comfort zone unless they have heard Magma before. My first reaction to hearing my first Magma album, "Live", is what the heck am I listening to? Then it dawned on me that it was challenging me and it would take many more excursions into Magma before I was even close to appreciating it. Now it simply feels like returning to an old friend. Vander's drumming is off the scale and the choirs are as enchanting as always.

As the album progresses, each track segues into the next and it is difficult to make out where each ends and begins. The music on ''Ekmah' instantly manages somehow to seize the conscious with an arrogant air of glory. The emotional resonance of Stella's beautiful operatics are heard like angels descending on 'Teha'. Then a gorgeous piano dominates 'Waahrz', and it almost feels improvisational but there is a haunting beauty as the ivories are caressed. This is Magma at it's most stripped back and subdued, like a calm before the storm. The piano still manages to threaten a foreboding downpour, but retains trickles of tranquility.

'Tsai!' is classic Magma with raucous choirs chanting and odd angular rhythms on keys and drums. The way the male sections are echoed by female opera is the convention utilised on all Magma albums at some point, and this is what I came here for. Eventually the heaviness breaks to a solo section, Stella and Isabelle trade off and are answered by a deep male voice. The dialogue is a necessary component as we hear the aliens take on the spoils of war.

The war is fought and then won in ''Ohst', driven by Christian Vander's manic vocals. The way he moves from deep resonances to the high pitched falsetto is always impressive. The lyrics sound somewhat like English in places that at times lends a humorous quality to the soundscape; at one point it sounds like "Say song song song now listen now now now do a good deal, it's our deal". The jaunty piano motif is frenetic and builds to a full on choir section. This song takes a long time to leave the conscious; at least the melody jams into the brain, and now it feels like the old Magma sound.

It segues into 'Zahrr', a 49 second conclusion to the mammoth epic. Then the second track ends the album, 'Les hommes sont venus', which only runs to 4:18, and then it is over. Stella leads as Isabelle, Herve, Sandrine, Sylvie and Marcus chant a hypnotic rhythm. The music is left up to Christian who indulges in relentless tinkling glockenspiel, and some keyboards. This is a very odd song for Magma, minimalist without guitar or drums, but it feels as alienating and compelling as the other tracks. The lyrics are basically 'Tu Zahrr Zahrr, Tu Zahrr Zahrr, Tu Zahrr Zahrr.' The flute keys are haunting and it really shows the diversity of the band in terms of the sounds they can generate.

The sudden cut off of the sound is quite unnerving, as it all seemed to fly by so quickly. The positive side of this is that it is easy to sit down and take it all in on one sitting. The negative side is that it feels like only half an album, as though there was supposed to be more. It is nowhere as dark as previous Magma and this is perhaps a delightful surprise as it is a different side to Magma, capturing more beauty than usual. Although I don't think that the album loses any of its power, it still did not have the soundscape that is cognizant of previous explorations. In place of an experimental approach the band seem focussed on stirring the emotions to feel empathy or security in some form of musical comfort.

Familiarity can breed contempt, but I was hoping for the familiar darkened interstellar intense experience of "Emehntehtt Re", "Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh", "1001 Centigrades" or "KA". At times "Felicite Thosz" measures up to the hyper music on those albums but it is not consistent in its execution. It feels safer without manic screeching and really off kilter rhythms and structures that tantalise and jar the senses. As "Kohntarkosz" begins now, it feels like a new beast rampaging through the speakers. In contrast, the music on this newer album is rather relaxing, mesmirisingly dreamy, and very rarely launches into shockwaves of irregularity. It is a new approach but now my ears have to be readjusted if Magma are going to take this tact in their music. This proves you cannot put Magma in a box (unless you count that incredible box set "Studio Zund") but it is still wondrous music and deserves at least 4 stars.

"Trilogy" is three of the classic Magma albums featuring "Live" from 1975, "Udu Wudu" from 1976, and "Attahk" from 1978, and it is packaged beautifully with cyborg front cover and attractive booklet. I had to grab this as I only had one physical CD album out of the three and so for me it was worthwhile as a Magma Kobaian. Although I had heard these tracks many times on digital format, there is something refreshing about hearing them on a remastered CD format. It is almost impossible music to describe but it really seeps into the system in an almost hypnotic way that is captivating and powerful. Call it Jazz Fusion, Zeuhl, Psych Prog and ambient darkness, and you might be close to describing this way out hyper music. Returning to this music is like returning to another universe; it is immersible music to soak the senses.

CD 1 "Live" This live Magma was my first journey into their universe and I was stunned at how chilling this music can be; a cross between Celtic chanting druids and Gregorian monks in a dark cathedral mixed with jazz rhythms. I found it hard to grasp and a little disturbing on first listen. Then it kind of grows on you like fungus. You tend to blend in with the music and surrealistic approach like osmosis.

Each track is unique and impossible to remember. None of the tracks are designed as real songs. 'Kohntark' is the magnum opus like epic, so large it is in two parts. The ominous menace of the music is immediately apparent and ferociously original. The unfriendly atmosphere is captured in this live document, not unlike attending a funeral at times. It lurches forward and an unsettling cadence sets in with repetitive chanting and off kilter, out of sync guitar. At times the music is really like having your head drilled with nails and it goes on and on relentlessly.

The drums lock in after about 8 minutes and it breaks in to a kind of African metrical pattern. The female choral vocals are loud and dominant by Stella Vander, as nutty as anything from Gong. There is a violin by Lockwood that is unbearable at times as it screams across the soundscape Magma create, especially 13 minutes in. It has the capacity to chill the marrow of your bones. The vocalisation is entirely fictionalised garb from an alien world, comparable to albums with the same trademark vocal style such as 'MDK'. The minor chords are heavily utilised in order to disturb the ear with admirable effect.

'Kobah' is definitely my favourite track on the album as it features beautiful psychedelic chanting and is a reasonable length that does not meander for decades but tells its ambiguous story and gets out. 'Lihns' is very strange again with a heavy melody but not a highlight by any means. 'Hhai' is definitely a Hhai-light that has an excellent hypnotic effect, almost mesmirising and you hardly notice the 9 minutes have passed before the next track begins. 'Mekanik Zain' features a rather quirky 7/8 rhythm. The ethereal bass and violin are masterfully executed. In fact the entire album is bass heavy. In conclusion, this live album deserves its cult following, and at first were not my taste but then I began to acquire the taste and could not get enough of them.

CD 2 "Udu Wudu" "Udu Wudu" follows on from a slew of excellent Magma albums and has some more accessible tracks and one outstanding track. There is still the quasi-human Kobaian language that Magma addicts have all come to know and love. However, gone is the uniqueness of the sound and the first half is rather mediocre in comparison to the wild inventiveness of previous Magma albums. There are still some excellent passages of jazzy Zeuhl such as with 'Troller Tanz' with it's whimsical melody, and Vander's high pitched screeching and the choral voices typical to Magma. 'Zombies' is also a standout track with stunning dissonant jazz overtones and chaotic percussion.

The best track, is the 18 minute epic, 'De Futura'. The use of high pitched synthesizer on this creates a new Magma sound. There is a uniquely futuristic atmosphere with the added synth tones and it is a welcome change to the album. Vader is a man possessed on percussion and trumpets, sax, flute, and bass compete and battle it out for much of the epic. At one point the instruments drop out and Jannik Top's fuzzy bass solo takes over. It is one of the high points of the album and played aggressively perfectly augmenting the dark atmospheres. The hypnotic groove works well with the percussion and outer limits spacey effects.

In conclusion, the one epic track elevates this to a worthwhile listen, but it is not to the level of previous Magma, and less consistent in terms of innovation and musical excellence.

CD 3 "Attahk" "Attahk" is a conclusive quality album after a number of excellent albums in the 70s. By the time 1978 rolled around Magma had cemented their reputation as pioneers of the Zeuhl sound. Drummer extraordinaire and visionary Christian Vander is back with a vengeance on this album but he lost the incredible bass guitarist Jannik Top and thus a lot of that deep bass resonance is missing.

The spacey Kobaian language is still a component and this album features perhaps some of the more amusing chants I have heard in Magma. At one point I can hear what sounds like "I am the seatbelt, I am the seatbelt, I am the seatbelt, I am the seatbelt ." The screaming sax, ominous piano crash, creepy off kilter spinning jazz spasms fused with peaceful flute are all part of the wonderful Magma experience. Some of the chants sound peculiarly like odd English phrases such as "an Amanda, cinder riff, so we live in dust we are, soon as I sing this song in Victoria, body laid to rest, hai hai hai se soudia suva. Turn the bodies saw you. Our butts are black."

There is a delightful twin sax melody line on the second half, which is a vast improvement, and some deliriously weird time sig changes with Vander screeching like a parrot caught in a blender. The chanting grows in intensity towards the end of the album as does the atonal jazz patterns. I have no idea what song I am listening to on this as they all blend together, but it sounds terrific.

"Attahk" is not a Magmasterpiece but I enjoyed returning to this form of Zeuhl. I believe, after this album, the music for the revolutionary band became less cohesive and not up to the incredible standard. That is, until the astonishing brilliant "Emehntehtt-Re" in 2009.

In conclusion, "Trilogy" as a compilation of three classic Magma albums, is a great starting point for newbies to Magma but is still packaged well for the more experienced Magmanites. It is cheaper to buy these three albums in one package, and the booklet is attractive enough to draw you in. I particularly like the cover, though it is unique without the Magma logo. Charly labels seem to be churning out a lot of Magma and noticeably do not include full remastered albums with bonus tracks. There are no bonus tracks at all and the live album is missing some material in the same way it was on Charly's release of "Live". However, all that aside, these are still 3 terrific albums, not the best of Magma by a long shot but nevertheless excellent music to wrap your ears around and indulge in the Magmaverse of this incredible spaced out band.

This band has a capacity to explore emotions in a very clear way. It is very interesting how they can go from sadness to happiness when you expect the least. This album is the perfect example of how they can express a different way of epicness, and a very unorthodox way to show sadness or beauty by the art. Waahrz is an example of how Magma can make a hybrid of something completely new to the prog and bring a erudite feeling by its piano playing. Tsaï is also another example of how deep that epicness can be shown in the Zeuhl. It is astonishing how the voices are the true main instrument in their musics. That orchestrated sentiment, mixing with the happiness and hate shown in Öhst and Zahrr are the highlights in the album. The mystical aftermath sounds in Les Hommes Sont Venus closes the album with an air of continuity, and you wait for something as impressive as this album was after the first listen. All these feelings mixed together show how deep their music is even after so many years, and even though they maintain loyal to their first albums, all that originality echoes again in the shadow of their Kobaian language. This album is essential to show how powerful Zeuhl can be, giving an example to those who like to explore deeper in the progressive that Magma is still alive.