CLIVAGES

Just missing the end of the 00's by a hair with the release of the 4th studio album since reforming in 99. This makes the old 00's decade a medium-slow one, since they've only released Rhythmix and Implosion as new material, filling in the voids with their two live albums (Live & Relaps), whereas by including The Hard Quest and this very Clivages would've made it a very busy decade, but both albums just missed the mark. OK, I'm finished with the nitpicking, here. With a headless statue as an artwork (this makes a very usual UZ and Cuneiform artwork), the group suffers a few changes compared to the previous Implosion album, but then again, I don't think I've seen UZ play two successive concert with the same line-up, with the first exception this winter since I'll have seen them at the album launching concert in Brussels on Feb 6 and at the Alter Ego festival two weeks later, along with Magma.

What to say of this album?? Still impeccably played, typically UZ-ian and most of the usual dithyrambics are still applicable, but I sense that the group has reached a point where it doesn't seem ready to venture further out in the wilderness and start to retread the same old ground. OK, this same old ground is still made of sumptuous mid-tempo chamber prog, but after Implosion's many small electronic interludes (that came alive in concert with the visuals), I was expecting (or at least hoping) the group to delve further in that direction. To no avail.

After a short Koboldian entrance, Warrior (from guest Andy Kirk) is one of two epics, and probably one of its (UZ) fastest tunes ever in its closing section. Vacillements is Berckman's bassoon playing hide and seek with Martin's violin and Kurt's clarinet, while his Apesanteur track is indeed a very light one, bringing a breath of fresh air. Soubresaults (aftershocks) is the logical follow-up top Earth Scream (both from Denis) and are extremely technical pieces, Denis' complex drumming certainly not helping. After a semi-interesting Three days, Budé signs the 14-mins Straight Edge, where we hear Chevalier's electric organ and other keyboard give boost to the group and sends Kurt's sax solo in the stratosphere. The slow middle section gives Kurt a chance to blow sax death thralls that'll curdle your blood, before the group finds a manic groove for its finale. Berckman's Retour De Foire is like a fairy spell, but by now, we're waiting for the Horus finale, where Daniel lets his son Nicolas handle the drum, the track being a fitting album outro.

I mean, as much as I am a fan of UZ, if I hear someone saying that since Uzed has been released (bar Implosion), if you've got one album, you've got them all, I'd have a pretty hard time finding counter-arguments to change his mind. This one might be a bit less sombre than usual, but other than that, it's definitely some excellent chamber rock music. So, even if I m a bit disappointed, this remains another impeccable Univers Zero album that is easily worth its predecessors.