NEMO

7. Philéas and his 20 minutes on the clock; 4 drawers with the guitar beginning with an air of the gadget inspector, energetic, tortured, enjoyable; 'in these cobbled streets lit with lanterns', yes the voice I get used to there, the phrasing bewitches me, a latency period where the voice goes in harmony; well we left and the Japanese interlude, the gong that sends shivers down your spine, yes we are in the new worlds, the prog spirit is there; the time, the notes make me integrate the vocal into the musical framework; so with prog you have to know how to hold on and persevere; 4'15 and this sublime moment, time has contracted, we almost forget it; the voice returns for a time, with Zeuhlian folk phrasing; the linked title which passes over the enjoyable drifts of the JPL sound, a rock, electric guitar which allows itself to guide on the prog shores, unrelatable, just suggested with this unique guitar which made me prick my ears a long time ago almost 20 years old, a straw in the prog universe; the finale with the birds to go back down, perfect

2 bonuses with 11. Africa for the walk in the middle of the safari with the Mellotron which appears, ah why not put one on before, it's too beautiful, too hot; the guitar seems to talk alone and brings you before the waning day 12. Naval battle and the organ, magnificent, that little extra which could have made a major French group, yes I weigh my words, there is (was) possibility; the guitar goes on a bluesy side, and it merges after the LED ZEPPELIN on a frenzied DEEP PURPEL, the panard; 5 minutes and a dreamlike space break; note this live finale where JPL presents its musicians, stunning; what can I say in conclusion: a Plant voice and we had the French group of the beginning of the millennium, no less.

I had not previously heard this album, not coming to Nemo until a little later, so I have no idea how this compares to the original, whether it is a note for note replication or if they have adjusted the songs to take into account how they will have changed over the years. What I do know is that it is massively diverse, and while solidly symphonic there is also a lot going on with the guitars while the vocals are also obviously incredibly important given the focus provided to them (but as they are all in French I have no idea what is being said). However, although I do not understand the lyrics it does not really matter as I am captured by the music, which certainly does not sound as if it was recorded at a distance due to Covid, as here we have a band who are incredibly tight, with a guitarist who is happy in a rock setting as he is in prog, and consequently plays as if he is in a neo/melodic rock setting while Itier bounces around the kit, Guichard is tight on the bass with some lovely runs and Fontaine holds it all together. I know the guys are not saying this is a comeback of any sorts, but one can dream there is a new Nemo album around the corner, as this is a blast from beginning to end.

The epic 10-minute "Abysses" sets the tone from the outset with crunchy riffs, clever flicks of the wrist and a driving beat. As the theme is all about the ocean's netherworld, the mood is deep and overbearing, as Louveton shows off his significant talent, a master stylist who has an immediately recognisable design, somewhat akin to Alex Lifeson in that he masters the contrasts exceptionally well, his rhythm work even flashier than his solos, which he generally keeps brief and to the point. From that opener on, the flow is well crafted between softer moments, atmospheric contrasts as well as bruising tracks, often within the same track. Nothing is ever boring or mundane, always some kind of surprise lurking around the corner. The second track, "Au Dessus des Toits" is a particularly expressive journey, with stimulating sounds, loquacious vocals, and endless pleasure. Relentless, resolute, undulating and persevering are some of the words that come to mind, as "Tempete" slams into your earphones, a savage and biting guitar directs the route, as the piano twinkles and the bass line weaves a reptilian furrow in the under growth. Gloomy power strums propels the musical submarine through the harrowing gale force winds, the thunderous swells, and the swirling seas. Up and down, we go, like a liquid roller coaster that knows no respite. Some believe the moon landing is an ongoing conspiracy, well Verne went there thanks to a huge cannon, saw the 'fromage' for himself while leaping from crater to crater and may have even planted the Tricolore on some ridge. Nemo just provides the expansive musical soundtrack for such a novel concept. His repeated guitar motif is full of romantic commotion, only to be slashed by a wicked roar that sears like a moonbeam. "Dans La Lune Encore" is pure magic.

How do you like ancient history? When Bonaparte conquered Egypt in 1798, he proclaimed to his soldiers" From the heights of the Pyramids, forty centuries look down upon us". Champollion was the first to decipher the hieroglyphs and subsequently Egyptology was brought to Europe. This dynamic track "Au Dessus des Pyramides" is the most appealing and bombastic track served up by the band, an exotic soundtrack, with a slight Middle Eastern tinge, especially in the persevering guitar leads as well as the swooping violin strings. A towering monument, among the eternal Gizeh shrines.

Ready for some extreme contrasts? Speed kills they say. "Depart-Europe" is a 'fly seat of the pants' acrobatic exercise with punishing organ work from Guillaume Fontaine, wicked drum patterns and unbridled power from the exuberant guitars. "Les Fleuves Sacrees" is the exact opposite, a Sino-Japanese cadence, delicately played as if the axe is a koto, with a marimba-like foundation undulating serenely along the rice paddies, intricately steering towards some kind of internal peace. This flows right into" Luna", where the xylophones continue their voyage, only to be taken over by an obsessive guitar foray, metronomic drums (Itier is a much-underrated stickman) and a rather brilliant moonlit jam session that is both clever and inspirational, check out the Magma-esque choir section, jaw droppingly unexpected!

The title track is a piano led etude that exudes persuasive elegance, a whistled melody amid the gentle shuffling drums, only to evolve into an electric guitar tour de force of the highest quality. Back to the serene keyboard pattern and a racing dash to the horizon, where the New World lies in waiting. Tired yet? How about a little safari? "Africa" shuttles forward with marimbas, binary tribal drum beats, all expertly interwoven, as Louveton sets up the rolling bass with some wicked guitar phrasings that are elephantine and gnarly like a baobab, while the sudden appearance of cascading mellotrons really give the arrangement a cinematographic grandeur, worthy the sub-Saharan wildlife, gently fading into the glowing sunset.

"Bataille Navale" is an original 2002 bonus live track, a whopping 11-minute midnight rambler, with Gregg Rollie-like organ, Gaignon and Bertrand at the command, while Jean-Pierre lets it rip, an extended, bluesy, technical and complex solo that is very much in the blues rock tradition, with unmatched dexterity, searing passion, and articulate determination. The middle section favours a more sedate environment, all melody and atmosphere, both vivid and expressive. JP puts his foot on the pedal once again as the players are introduced with typical Gallic flair and the guitar swells into the tornado that it most certainly is. A glimpse into the beginning of this band. Lovely 77 minutes of classic science fiction themed musical adventure, 20,000 leagues under the sea.

4.5 new worlds LA FIN

Our album begins with the open, if not lightly symphonic "La derniere vague". Definitely plenty to hear in this, from Neo-Proggy synth-padding to the very modern rolling bass. The guitar is in stark contrast to the light string pads underneath (at times, it's even a tad muddy, unfortunately). Some very cool rhythmic tension happens as the general intensity increases here. Feels like music from Sonic The Hedgehog or something (that bright neo-classical thing?). Ah yes... The French! haha. Something sort of Post-Progressive here, too, as it were. To be honest, sort of on that note, the verses are a tad wanting. Nice synth solo. Really good things here, but I'll wait... I was going to say it for the opener, but there's elements that remind me of Muse(?) with "Generateur" (that heavy guitar and the super slinky bass in the context of a Post-Prog world). It sort of reminds me, too, in tone, of Italian Prog. I'm conflicted haha. The music has really shown its age thus far.

Really beautifully juxtaposed is the soft intro of "Sur la tombe du phenix". [In all seriousness here] Light, Runescape-ready "mallet percussion" (keys, apparently) is met with strong cello(?) strikes. Nice, natural build here. And a very cool main riff! Somewhat metallic, but perfectly, harmonically ominous. Also, sort of how I view Porcupine Tree, Nemo is clearly a band that is utterly aware of many different popular musical idioms and ready to (in the most positive form of the word) exploit them. They mix the aforementioned Post-Prog of Muse and Neo-Prog of bands like Landmarq and Pallas with Alt-Metal affectations, and then here there are apparent Country influences? Is anyone tracking with me?... Regardless, very cool. Very successful fusions of all these things on "Sur...".

Then we're onto our three-parter, "La mort du scorpion", beginning with the light, introductory "Soleil". What it introduces is the bright, classic-sounding "L'oeil du cyclope". There's little guitar and piano trills that weirdly reminded me of GG, but these were quick, fleeting moments, not representative of the whole. [There goes that guy who walks into downtown past my house every day, chewing his cud as he does... Whatever it is that he's chewing, he's always chewing it haha.] Beautiful stuff, especially as it dies down to a droning, bucolic scene with a pedaled piano, its melody matched with the sheen of acoustic guitar. This reminds me greatly of the wondrous Styx track "Sing for the Day"! Interesting! And love it! Best thus far. Our third and final part to the mini-epic is "La mort du scorpion", I guess the title-sub-track of the track haha? Crazy difference in tone from the last, as the theme of death would rightly imply. Those wonderful "mallets" return and the guitar sings a sorrowful tune. Pretty fantastic, even in its quietness, really. Dramatic swells as it crescendos to the end.

Entering the original finale to the album, we have the nearly-18-minute epic "Les nouvelles croisades". This intro is literally... "YYZ" by Rush, yeah? I was a little unsure about the guitar-work on this album at the start, but like a few other tracks before this'n, the riffs are just awesome! Oooooh and the bridge section after minute 11! Very cool. A little jazzy? Anyways, epic indeed. Finally finally, we have the bonus track closer "Le pire est avenir". Very upbeat number, but still with that slight tension and ominous feeling. Oh, yeah, they're French; I forgot /s. Pretty cool track. Their vocals are pretty much definitely my least favorite element (throughout). Maybe it would mean something else, something more, to me if I knew French (or if it were in English haha)... I'm skeptical. I'm a man of melody and intrigue. What can you do? haha. The music generally does save this one for the "Good" category, though. One of the saving graces is the groovy, heavy bridge here starting around the 7-minute mark.

And that's it! Rough start, in my opinion, but a more-than-solid release overall!

True Rate: 3.75/5.00

"The last wave" of piano school to start this piece with this symphony still mixing, acoustic, choirs, and neo metal explosion with beautiful solos, an angry guitar, hypnotic atmospheres with convoluted drawer looking dreamy emotions a life-size fresco, one must 15 years later. "Generator" grooviest (more energetic and nervous), more hard with a basic riff and effective, however with more vintage organ and guitar that spurt. "On the grave of the Phoenix" with its bells input xylophone, a fat riff that recalls that JPL has concocted a parallel group in his time with WOLFSPRING, title drawer with slow prog climb, then solo ZZ TOP and escape with purely enjoyable synth and complex drawer climates. 3 follows chained songs reworked into a single title "death scorpion" for an acoustic tour with clear intro causing a swirling after almost folk, acoustic guitar break may recall that of PAYSSAN brothers MINIMUM VITAL is downright always so beautiful especially as I had listened there less than a year without knowing that I was going to chronicle; 3rd party more instrumental, symphonic, jazz-prog with drift, SF with its sound effects, as nervous afterwards and that is worth seeing for its complexity. An approach to new heavy, hard, scabby, passing well to finish this triptych! "New Crusades" 5-part epic offers a room where you can get lost so many moods change with the minutes; Attention, guitar solos, synth will succeed, or mate during the 18 '; it is on the edge of jazz. As for "the worst is future" prog technique, nervous, more nervous yet it offers room also varied with a rhythmic and instrumental agree more spaces; only downside, too predictable texts (texts also beautiful!) that break a little the musical atmosphere.

Varied progressive rock, this is what always NEMO, stamped French group with different layers of instruments, showing there's talent too little known composer of this unparalleled. The duration of around 77 minutes, the compounds provide an overview of what can be done in the rock with a song verse-chorus and developments, drawers, convolutions of sometimes acoustic parts, sometimes hard, sometimes symphonic with breaks various to create separate universes. So for prog fans the French, do not hesitate and engulf you, immerse squarely in the world of NEMO.

For some strange reason I didn't come across Nemo until their fourth album, so actually don't have the original to which to compare this, so have to treat it as a totally new piece of work. But given it was recorded in 2018, isn't a "simple remaster", then this is probably the best way to do it anyway. JPL and Guillaume were founder members of the band back in 1999, and although they haven't been playing a great deal together recently, behind them there are the many hours of shared time in rehearsal spaces, concert platforms and studios, and it shows. The ideas bounce off each other, with a piano and acoustic guitar sometimes being even more dynamic and powerful than rock guitar, and there is plenty of that as well. Lionel has slotted right in and has a wonderful warm sound from his bass, which may not have the punch of some but contains a depth and sustain which fits in perfectly with the often-staccato approach of Jean Baptiste.

They bring in classical moments (I love the marimba on the third part of "La Mort Du Scorpion"), jazz, progressive rock and very hard rock guitar, bringing them all together seamlessly. This album may be 15 years old, but with the re-recording it is fresh, vibrant and essential. Let's just hope the band decide to record another new album, as music and performances such as this deserve to be heard.

This NEMO which seems to have outlasted all the others is the one that has attempted to ride the perpetual waves of the very Captain NEMO of the 19th century novels "Twenty Thousand Legions Under The Sea" and "Mysterious Island." The band was formed in 1999 by Pascal Bertrand (drums and percussion), Jean-Pierre Louveton (guitar and vocals) and Guillaume Fontaine (keyboards), the latter of the two having remained the only members to be involved with every album up to the present. The original lineup on this debut album LES NOUVEUX MONDES (The New Worlds) also included bassist Benoît Gaignon who replaced the original bassist Hervé Esquis.

Right from the start NEMO created a lush and dense tapestry of progressive rock styles and melded them into a rich and complex mishmash of elements that would take heavily fortified compositions and infuse them with a ceaseless parade of dynamics, tempo changes, mood enhancing atmospheres and time signatures run amok. Eschewing the policy of English only as was the norm of classic prog (save the Italian scene), NEMO, while primarily focusing on lengthy instrumental runs also includes lyrics delivered in their native French. The main focus of the instrumentation revolves around the strong and creative guitar chops of Louveton in conjunct with the deliberate and fanciful keyboard antics of Fontaine.

The music is extraordinarily dense and characterized by a plethora of melodic developments that meander and morph unexpectedly as time signatures punctate the flow, tempos gestate from calm bucolic verses to more aggressive rock. The tracks are lengthy with the four part suite "Philéas" ending the album with a 20 minute epic prog journey. The band takes influences from all across the prog spectrum with Genesis-like symphonic prog, heavy prog influences from The Mars Volta and Dream Theater, modern symphonic leanings from Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings as well as the virtuosic grace of bands like Anglagard and atmospheric sophistication in the vein of Porcupine Tree. NEMO nailed this eclectic mix from the getgo and although they have produced better albums than LES NOUVEUX MONDES, this debut is nothing less than an excellent slice of sophisticated prog yumminess.

In many ways, NEMO was even more diverse on this debut than on the later albums. While some may claim this to be unfocused, others like myself deem it as exciting. While i have nothing against more focused albums that aren't as scattered, i find all the elements on board here that defy predictability to be quite refreshing and stimulating even. For my money i actually prefer albums that have all the proper prog boxes checked and then add layers of mysterious deviations and LES NOUVEAUX MONDES delivers the best aspects of both the predictable as well as that which is not. For my money, this debut is as good as any of the albums that follow and not one to be missed by any NEMO aficionado who has come to this band late in their game.

My main conclusion is that on this album Nemo sounds very well balanced, there is a great 'flow' in the compositions and the band even sound pretty accessible for 'Nemo standards', despite the frequent shiftings moods, many breaks and huge variety

First the interplay between the guitar and keyboards, both musicians are founding members, have played together for many years and on Barbares their musical understanding is mighty close to identical twins: amazing how they follow, challenge and stimulate each other, this gives a captivating and often exciting extra dimension to the music.

Second the way JPL uses the vocals, it has become an instrument in the sound of Nemo and colours the music with a very special flavor, slightly theatrical and often with strong expressive undertones.

An third 'captain' JPL his abilities to drive the music with his powerful and varied guitarwork, from biting wah-wah drenched runs or fat guitar riffs to funky rhythm-guitar and sensitive solos (fueled by an outstanding, very flowing and adventurous rhythm-section).

My highlights.

The early Eighies Rush inspired Ldi: awesome interplay, exciting guitarwork, great dynamics and a very surprising break.

Great tension between the powerful drums/prog metal riffs and acoustic rhythm-guitar/piano, embellished with passionate vocals in 19.59.

A swinging rhythm with bombastic organ and wah-wah guitar in Faux Semolanc.

And the magnum opus Barbares (25 minutes) that presents Nemo at their best featuring spectacular synthesizer flights, exciting interplay between guitar and keyboards, lots of great changing climates and some strong musical ideas like the blend of an acoustic guitar solo, tin-whistle and sparkling piano into the music, culminating in a compelling grand finale, what a band!

The bonus disc (500 copies limited edition) is a live registration from 2007, you can enjoy their great power and dynamics with lots of awesome solo work on guitar and keyboards, strong interplay and a captivating live atmosphere, this is a perfect way to experience Nemo on stage, unfortunately I miss the song Une Question De Temps, one of the highlights of their Progfarm 2008 Festival gig I witnessed 10 years ago.

Despite the language gap, during the years Nemo has made more and more friends, they fully deserve wider attention.

It's a truly grand proposition in all, and finds the band going out on a high; say what you like about their hiatus, at least they didn't leave us with a bad memory before they went.

Nemo's "Coma" (their 9th studio album!) is among the PA Top 10 of 2015 and I only managed to snag it recently. Earlier in the year it was a little too pricey for me. But recently I heard that Nemo guitarist and vocalist Jean Pierre Louveton was a guest on Grandval's "A ciel ouvert", playing lead guitar on two tracks, and I took interest once again. Thankfully the price of the CD had come down!

The album begins with a dark synthesizer key and then erupts into an awesome metal guitar riff. The song turns prog metal for a while pulling off yet another great riff before settling down to some lighter music with piano and clean guitar. "Le Coma des Mortels" is 11:55 of changing moods and weights, shifting between light and heavy, slow and fast, and features some wonderful eighties metal guitar played to a modern prog style.

"Train Fantome" emerges so smoothly out of the conclusion to "Le Coma" that you might not notice the track change. This track includes some Iron Maiden-ish riffing and later something like Steve Morse-era Deep Purple with a Hammond organ solo that channels John Lord. There's also a part that breaks out some Steve Vai-era Whitesnake but soon switches once again to slower, delicate piano and clean guitar. Mention must go to Jean Pierre's vocals which are very good and suitable for the frequently changing music. He sings cleanly and with emotion.

After the first two tracks it's tempting to peg these guys as a prog metal band with frequent detours into piano country; however "Comaine" begins with an eastern acoustic sound and adds some woodwind which is later accompanied by the heavier rock guitar. "St. Guy" is an instrumental that delivers more of the band's versatility, shifting between gentle music and overtly challenging rhythms and riffs. Meanwhile, "Tu n'es pas seul" shows off Nemo's lighter side with some nice harmony vocals placed against an almost jazz-influenced musical background.

The album wraps up with another longer piece, "Coma", that simply continues the masterful music of the album.

Nemo are listed here as eclectic prog yet this album seems to balance heavy prog, prog metal, and even neo-prog in a very succinct but wonderfully prepared arrangement. It's very easy to hear and understand how this album placed so highly on the Top 100 of 2015.