Xaal

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I was quite surprised to see such an awesome band missing for the archives here, but then again I'm surprised I actually found an obscure prog. band to begin with. 

These French Prog. Metal/Rock/Fusion guys are seriously amazing. I don't know a whole lot about them, other then that they make LTE seem worthless, and that they are alot more coherent than say ... Behold ... The Arctopus.

If you can even manage to find a download of their album On The Way, I seriously suggest you get it. It is an amazing album, and should not be ignored by any means. 

They are signed to Musea Records, but the Musea site is sold out of their albums :( And sad thing is, Xaal do not have a site of their own so I can't help any of you out with finding their work ... aside through illegal methods and well >___<;; wouldn't want to do that now would you?

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Crushed Aria Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 01 2005 Status: Offline Points: 184	Topic: Xaal Posted: May 27 2006 at 12:45
	I was quite surprised to see such an awesome band missing for the archives here, but then again I'm surprised I actually found an obscure prog. band to begin with. These French Prog. Metal/Rock/Fusion guys are seriously amazing. I don't know a whole lot about them, other then that they make LTE seem worthless, and that they are alot more coherent than say ... Behold ... The Arctopus. If you can even manage to find a download of their album On The Way, I seriously suggest you get it. It is an amazing album, and should not be ignored by any means. They are signed to Musea Records, but the Musea site is sold out of their albums :( And sad thing is, Xaal do not have a site of their own so I can't help any of you out with finding their work ... aside through illegal methods and well >___<;; wouldn't want to do that now would you?


Teaflax Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: June 26 2005 Status: Offline Points: 1225	Posted: May 27 2006 at 12:53
	I wonder if that was the band I was in talks with about making an album cover for... In that case, I have a test pressing somewhere. I'll go look... Edit: No, those guys were called Xang. Edited by Teaflax - May 27 2006 at 13:15


DallasBryan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 23 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3323	Posted: May 27 2006 at 13:10
	they are very good, and very progressive and the archives has no excuse except they are not on the job!

chopper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 13 2005 Location: Essex, UK Status: Offline Points: 19942	Posted: June 08 2006 at 15:23
	They're on the (very long) list of bands to be discussed.

Sean Trane Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Prog Folk Joined: April 29 2004 Location: Heart of Europe Status: Offline Points: 19577	Posted: August 02 2006 at 10:15
	fixed now
	let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword

Yukorin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 21 2005 Location: Japan Status: Offline Points: 1589	Posted: August 05 2006 at 12:54
	Xaal article from 1991 on the release of their debut cassette: XAAL Cyrille Beerens XAAL have existed since 1986. The original trio of Laurent Imperato (guitar), Patrick Boileau (drums) and Nicolas Neimer, which had trained itself to play some revivals of jazz-rock along the lines of Jeff Beck, rapidly took the decision to tell their own story and started a personal repertoire two years later, in 1988. As the music had at long last stabilised, the group added a keyboard player, Stephane Jaoui, but instead of the latter adapting to their music, it was the music that changed, however the group continued in this form for roughly seven months before returning to the trio formula and to record three tracks in a studio in Brest. Then it was back to a quartet in the summer of 1989, with the arrival of Jad Ayache on guitar-synth. But hardly had this new line-up recorded four songs before Laurent Imperato left the band. Jad took over the guitar, to form the actual XAAL, a really stable band now, with an original repertoire and with ambitions to record a CD soon, at last ready to open to a larger public. The music of XAAL, which is purely instrumental, by its impact should please three types of public: The Prog-rock fans who will be sensitive to the melodic aspect and to the style of compositions; The MAGMA fans who will jump for joy hearing the breakings of the bass / drums tandem; The jazz-rock fans at last who wouldn't remain insensitive to the instrumentalist qualities of our three friends. On listening to Patrick Boileau (27), the drummer, it is difficult not to think of Christian Vander during the great period of MAGMA and of Bill Bruford at the peak of KING CRIMSON, to think of them when he plays his pieces with a wonderful power. Nicolas Neimer (23), the bassist doesn't hide the fact that his influences are Jannick Top and Bernard Paganotti, thus a great noise and bass notes to take your breath away. But the music of XAAL has nothing to compare with the music of MAGMA or KING CRIMSON. XAAL is original. Jad Ayache (25) is left with his guitar out of which the most diverse and interesting sounds emerge. He admits listening to pianists, saxophonists, and principally a guitarist... Jimi Hendrix. Their tape which can be ordered, care of C. BEERENS is the occasion of killing two birds with one stone: To help the band to produce its CD and to give you pleasure as you discover one of the strongest European music's.

Yukorin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 21 2005 Location: Japan Status: Offline Points: 1589	Posted: August 05 2006 at 12:57
	Again taken from the excellent Ork Alarm! archive (http://www.simplesoul.co.uk/ork_alarm/) XAAL 1989 - 1992 Jad Ayache In October I asked the excellent Zeuhl / Progressive group XAAL for an update on what they have been doing since the story of their first three years was last documented by Cyrille Beerens and Alain Juliac in Ork Alarm! #5 and Notes # 35. "Hello, I'm Jad, guitarist of XAAL. You asked me to bring you up-to-date with our activities since 1989... Well, Laurent Imperato left the group when we were recording the demo tape. He was insisting on changing the style of the group into a more commercial style with vocals etc. After that, the three of us rehearsed together for several months before we considered keeping the name of Xaal and playing a set of new pieces. We played our first gig in April 90 but it took a long time before we were happy with the results. On October 27th we performed as support for the Christian Vander Trio and things really started to move from here. We were contacted by Musea, who were interested in releasing an album from us. We started recording it (but since it was self-produced, it took quite a while to achieve). In 1991 we played a few fairly good gigs and finished mixing the record in May. Then Keith Turner of Progressive Records (and also the leader of the interesting British group QUASAR - ed.) proposed a deal to us, which was much more interesting than Musea's and we therefore signed with Keith's label in July. In the winter of 91, Patrick Boileau (drums) broke both wrists, which led to a very long enforced holiday - we eventually played again in the spring of 92, and it proved that the break was beneficial to the group. As the music improves, more people are coming to the gigs. We have played as support act for PAGA (Bernard Paganotti's group featuring Klaus Blasquiz). Finally the record 'EN CHEMIN' was released in August 92 and it is slowly being distributed in Europe."