CIEL OUVERT

Martigan´s second release found the band still struggling to find their own sound that would eventually culminate with the superb Man Of The Moment and the masterpiece Vision. Although all the basic elements are here, their distinctive blend of melodic rock and symphonic prog is yet in embryonic form. Ciel Ouvert is the classic case of hit and miss. Some tracks already show some maturity while others are not as well done (the title track is a good exemple of the latter with its mistaken brass arrangement. It should never be the opener)

The CD superficially is not that interesting. But if you pay close atention, you´ll see their superb musicanship and great talent as songwriters. At first look the songs seem too simple and boring, but after a few spins you start to realise how elaborated, creative and different each one is. The unsual rhythm patterns (led by the funky and brilliant bass lines of Axel Schütze), the odd chord progressions, the economical use of the guitar and keys and the brilliant vocal lines are soon noticeable, even if the songwriting and the arrangements are not fully developed as I stated before. Production is adequate.

All in all I found Ciel Ouvert far less accessible and well crafted as their last two fantastic releases. Still they are also too talent to release something totally uninteresting. The CD takes some time to sink in and is quite more demanding to the listener, but it is worth it. My rating keeps shifting between 3 and 3,5 stars. Not really essential, but good enough.