OPUS PROGRESSIF

4.5 stars. A definite upgrade over their debut in every way. I love how this reminds me of MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA at times. Also David Rose guests on violin for the last two tracks. Oh, and my thanks to psarros who's praise of this band moved me to check them out. This album is darn near perfect for my tastes and it will sit with my prized Jazz / Fusion albums.

"Convulsion" hits the ground running as electric piano, guitar, drums and bass fire on all cylinders. It settles before a minute then builds. Some fuzz too. "Disparition" has this dramatic intro before it settles in before a minute. A great sounding track. "Le Souffleur De Reve" is melancholic early. Some sparse electric piano eventually comes in with bass. It's building slowly. Spacey sounds before 5 1/2 minutes as it settles to the end. "Dialogarythme" sounds really good as the guitar and bass stand out. Nice crisp drumming too. The guitar is lighting it up before 3 minutes.

"La Porte De Bag" is less than a minute of picked guitar and piano. "38 CM/S" has a funky groove to it throughout. The guitar rips it up a minute in. "Maldoror" features piano and bass that come and go in a relaxed way. Other sounds do the same starting at 1 1/2 minutes. A very laid back and cool tune. "Opus Progressif I" opens with acoustic guitar as piano joins in. Violin and bass follow around a minute. It blends into "Progressif II" where the drums kick in right away. The violin and guitar are incredible here. It settles with bass and drums after 4 1/2 minutes. Violin 5 minutes in. Piano before 7 minutes.

A fantastic album to say the least. Highly recommended.