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ZEUHL

A Progressive Rock Sub-genre


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Zeuhl definition

Zeuhl is an adjective in Kobaďan, the language written by Christian Vander, drummer and founder of the French band Magma.

Pronunciation: zEU(h)l, while the EU are like a French E with a slight U, and the (h) is a semi-silent letter which is an integrated part of the EU, totaling in a "syllable and a half".

The word means celestial, although many times it is misunderstood as meaning "celestial music", since the members of Magma describe the genre of their music as Zeuhl. Zeuhl Wortz, though, means Music of the universal might.


The genre is a mixture of musical genres like Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Modernism and Fusion. Common elements: oppressive or discipline-conveying feel, marching themes, throbbing bass, an ethereal piano or Rhodes piano, and brass instruments.

Current team members (1/3/2020):
Luca (octopus-4)
Ian (Nogbad_The_Bad)
Keishiro (DamoXt7942)

Zeuhl Top Albums


Showing only studios | Based on members ratings & PA algorithm* | Show Top 100 Zeuhl | More Top Prog lists and filters

4.29 | 1164 ratings
MEKANĎK DESTRUKTĎW KOMMANDÖH
Magma
4.34 | 288 ratings
4 VISIONS
Eskaton
4.25 | 772 ratings
K.A (KÖHNTARKÖSZ ANTERIA)
Magma
4.24 | 573 ratings
ËMËHNTËHTT-RÉ
Magma
4.24 | 519 ratings
EROS
Dün
4.25 | 196 ratings
MATHEMATICAL MOTHER
Universal Totem Orchestra
4.17 | 388 ratings
CHRISTIAN VANDER: TRISTAN ET ISEULT [AKA: ẀURDAH ĎTAH] (OST)
Magma
4.13 | 560 ratings
KÖHNTARKÖSZ
Magma
4.19 | 245 ratings
WEIDORJE
Weidorje
4.10 | 504 ratings
1001° CENTIGRADES [AKA: 2]
Magma
4.28 | 94 ratings
MAIS ON NE PEUT PAS RĘVER TOUT LE TEMPS
Thibault, Laurent
4.08 | 433 ratings
FÉLICITÉ THÖSZ
Magma
4.13 | 156 ratings
THE MAGUS
Universal Totem Orchestra
4.23 | 89 ratings
SLAǧ TANƶ
Magma
4.01 | 554 ratings
MAGMA [AKA: KOBAĎA]
Magma
4.28 | 68 ratings
BONDAGE FRUIT II
Bondage Fruit
4.08 | 161 ratings
LES MORTS VONT VITE
Shub-Niggurath
4.09 | 148 ratings
INFERNAL MACHINA
Top, Jannick
4.10 | 127 ratings
RITUALE ALIENO
Universal Totem Orchestra
4.51 | 32 ratings
200 000
Zwoyld

Zeuhl overlooked and obscure gems albums new


Random 4 (reload page for new list) | As selected by the Zeuhl experts team

HUNDRED SIGHTS OF KOENJI
Koenji Hyakkei
AMYGDALA
Amygdala
MAIS ON NE PEUT PAS RĘVER TOUT LE TEMPS
Thibault, Laurent
BONDAGE FRUIT I
Bondage Fruit

Latest Zeuhl Music Reviews


 Fiction by ESKATON album cover Studio Album, 1983
3.97 | 77 ratings

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Fiction
Eskaton Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars Despite a rather turbulent beginning where it would take ESKATON (formed in 1970 at the same time Magma released its debut) eight years to record what was supposed to be its first album in 1978 and then another two to record a second which would be released as the debut, ESKATON kept the world of zeuhl alive in the early 1980s just when the progenitors of the genre, Magma had taken a leave of absence while Christian Vander and friends were engaging in side projects such as the short-lived Fusion. ESKATON was just one of the revivalists who took the post-Magma zeuhl into new unthinkable worlds that would keep the unique avant-garde musical form alive and well in the French underground during the prog starved 1980s.

After releasing its intended debut turned sophomore release "4 Visions," ESKATON was propelled to the top of the French underground and praised for its wild and unhinged take on Magma inspired zeuhl only with a fresh energetic infusion of crafty ingenuity. The band had gone through more than a few lineup changes but retained the same lineup from "Ardeur" for its third and final album FICTION which was released in 1983. A fourth album was recorded and intended to be released as "Icare" but never saw the light of day and after guitarist / keyboardist Giles Rozenberg left the band in 1984, the band would disintegrate and fall into obscurity until the Soleil Zeuhl reissued the band's cassette only canon into the proper vinyl and CD formats.

While both "Ardeur" and especially "4 Visions" showcased an ambitious zeuhl band that displayed a virtuosity and creative edge above and beyond much of the competition, those two albums were very much steeped in Magma worship unfortunately often sounding like a Magma clone to my ears. The third album FICTION on the other hand showcased a creative new beginning (or ending as destiny would have it) that found the band deemphasizing the overt Magma influences and finding its own unique stamp on the world of zeuhl. While still delivering the bubbling zeuhl bass grooves, steady rhythmic drive and ecstatic and even giddy female vocal playfulness right out of the Stella Vander playbook, ESKATON delivered a strange mix of zeuhl that added the more contemporary sounds of new wave in the form of repetitive keyboard patterns, synthesized sounds and an occasional bouncy even danceable drive.

Despite the adaptation to the demands of the early 80s that favored catchy synthpop and pop punk fueled ear worms, ESKATON kept these tendencies in check by keeping the musical flow dark and mysterious with crafty even angular keyboard workouts, jazzy drumming outbursts and the unmistakable zeuhl-ish mix of a rhythmic drive and stentorian choir technqiues. The strangest and most unique part of the album surely comes from the dueling vocal performances of vocalists Amara Tahir and Paule Kleynnaert who together provide a sort of rapping technique to trade off vocals on such tracks as "Plus Et Moins" and "Le Cinema" which implant a primeval vocal rap similar to Debbie Harry's on the mega-hit single "Rapture" from Blondie. While that sounds like a recipe for disaster, this bold move is used sparingly throughout the album's run in between the oft instrumental or more traditional sounding zeuhl tracks.

The album also features more electronic based slow burners such as the short instrumental "Paranthčse" and "La More De Tristan," the latter of which even features a few nods to the Canterbury jazz keyboard sounds that had been nurtured into fruition by the likes of Soft Machine and Hatfield & The North. The results of all this fusion of traditional zeuhl with an infusion of contemporary craftiness makes FICTION perhaps the most innovative of all the three albums of its canon. While not nearly as technical and lacking the virtuosic display of fiery zeuhl action that "4 Visions" delivered in abundance, FICTION has unfairly taken a back seat to its more popular sibling however there is no doubt that FICTION is the most unique album of the band's all too short career and delivers just the right amount of new influences to make the album a very compelling listening experience although prog purists may cringe and call it pandering to the world of new wave which was dominating the music scene in 1983.

There are two very different versions of FICTION with differing track orders: the original version which emerged, and the 2005 Soleil Zeuhl reissue which for whatever reason displayed the album with tracks mixed up per the band's request. In addition the newer version also features five tracks that were supposed to comprise the "Icare" album which was slated to be the fourth ESKATON album however due to the band's proclivity to deemphasize the progressiveness of their music and veering into the watered down world of pop which FICTION does indeed point to, the more commercial tracks were scrapped leaving five extras that more or less followed in the footsteps of what was laid out on FICTION. Yes indeed FICTION does find a progressive rock band adapting to the 80s however ESKATON forged a unique bridge between two seemingly disparate worlds quite successfully and although the band would soon drift off more into the pop world before disbanding, FICTION is without a doubt more on the side of progressive zeuhl than anything remotely new wave. I know i'm in the minority but this is my favorite ESKATON album.

 Nicolas II by POTEMKINE album cover Studio Album, 1978
3.85 | 62 ratings

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Nicolas II
Potemkine Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

3 stars After the second album "Triton," the Toulouse based POTEMKINE engaged in a hefty touring schedule with bands such as Art Zoyd, Mosaik and Etron Fou Leloublan and performed all over the band's home nation of France all throughout 1977 and during that tour the band decided to drift off more in a jazz rock fusion direction and left behind most of its 20th century classical and zeuhl influences. The third and final album NICOLAS II came out in 1979 and refers to the last reigning Emperor of Russia before the 1917 revolution. The band's interest in Russia's history isn't surprising considering its very name POTEMKINE is a Russian word that refers to a construction (literal or figurative) with the purpose of providing an external façade to a situation that makes people believe the situation is better than it is. Often used in the term Potemkin Village.

This third and final album from POTEMKINE swung more in the direction of the debut "Foetus" and reverted to a more jazz oriented style of fusion and deemphasized the 20th century classical, avant-prog and zeuhl complexities of the band's second album "Triton." The album also sounds a lot like Soft Machine's jazz fusion years roughly from "Six," "Seven" and especially "Bundles" although no Alan Holdsworth around to ignite the fire that brings the music to another level. While more energetic and with more substantial composiitons, NICOLAS II sounds a bit like a standard jazz fusion affair from the 1970s rather than an innovative work that sets the band apart from its competition unlike the unique stylistic approach achieved on "Triton." Basically this album sounds an amalgamation of any influences the band could garner up. A touch of Brand X here, a dab of Weather Report there with other influences coming to mind but the keyboard work of Michel Goubin brings the Soft Machine connections to light.

While the Magma influences had been deemphasized, they still come through on some tracks such as "Ode de Mars" courtesy of Dominique Dubuisson's beefy bass riffing so every once in a while the album feels like a mix of Magma, Soft Machine, Weather Report and Brand X although the POTEMKINE of "Triton" is sorely missing as it much more experimental and daring in its approach and NICOLAS II sounds like the band is trying to play it all safe in order to fit in with the accepted jazz fusion sounds of the day. The problem is that the band didn't deliver a sound that is unique and neither are the compositions enthralling in any way although the performances are acceptable. Charles Goubin is quite busy on this album with his guitar playing yet he seems like a second rate guitarist in the world of jazz fusion in an era that has produced veritable guitar gods such as John McLaughlin, Alan Holdsworth, John Albercombie and Al DiMeola just to name a few.

While better than "Foetus" which was a rather dull album that barely steamed above simmer, NICOLAS II is a rather by the books jazz fusion album of the 1970s and doesn't really stand out in any particular way. This is sad because "Triton" on the other hand was engaging and dynamic all the way through its run. While this is perfectly acceptable jazz fusion that won't disappoint as far as enjoyability, the album to me sounds a bit generic considering by 1978 the prog world was chock full of classic jazz fusion albums that far exceeded anything POTEMKINE crafted on NICOLAS II. Overall this is an OK if average jazz fusion release that found the band lose its momentum and although would carry on for a few more years until its demise in 1982, never was able to release another album after this one as the tides were turning against complex music in the market and POTEMKINE seemed to peak and then rapidly decline.

3.5 stars rounded down

 Triton by POTEMKINE album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.63 | 49 ratings

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Triton
Potemkine Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars POTEMKINE formed all the way back in 1971 in Toulouse, France and started off as a cover band of classic rock like the Rolling Stones and Deep Purple but turned to the world of jazz fusion once the founder and brother Charles and Gilles Goubin discovered the wild worlds of the Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Somewhere before the band's debut "Foetus" the world of zeuhl began creeping into the band's sound after attending Magma concerts. The debut "Foetus" was an interesting take on the potentials of mixing jazz rock with the idiosyncratic characteristics of zeuhl but lacked any real cohesion and sorely lacked any bite.

The band followed up with its sophomore release TRITON which came out in 1977 and offered a much more accomplished roster of five tracks that added up to just over 37 minutes of playing time. TRITON found POTEMKINE taking its jazz rock and zeuhl fusion to the world of 20th century classical complexity with composers such as Edgar Varese, Erik Satie and Claude DeBussy serving as the primary inspirational figures. The title of the album refers to the tritone which was considered the work of the devil by the Spanish Inquisition and only reintroduced to Western Music by composers such as Stravinsky and Bartok.

The lineup expanded as well which included the three Goubin brothers: Charles (guitar) Michael (keyboards), Phillipe (drums) and Dominque Dubuisson back on bass as well as Xavier Vidal returning on violins. However yet another Goubin, this time bassist Gilles joined the team as well as an extra drummer Maurice Bataille on a couple of tracks. At this same time POTEMKINE also started to dabble in the world of avant-prog with a more abstract sound courtesy of exposure to bands like Art Zoyd and Etron Fou Leloublan. The results of all this newfound inspiration made TRITON a much more interesting album than the band's debut "Foetus." Likewise the zeuhl rhythms and influences are much more apparent on TRITON which created a very original sound that set the band easily apart from the competition.

The album is primarily an instrumental fusion of the avant-prog delivered by the Rock In Opposition bands that were popping up around Belgium and France in the late 1970s along with the Magma and already established jazz fusion tendencies although still no woodwinds or jazzy horn sections in the mix. The album also offers a few wordless vocals that serve as an extra instrument mostly in the form of haunting backdrops to creepy avant-garde musical processions. The music is much more diverse on TRITON with the tracks offering a wide range of musical exploration and chock full of various time signature workouts that offer a huge sonic expansion of timbres, dynamics and complexity of the compositions. The distinct use of guitar work also was unique for any major zeuhl works of the 1970s.

This album really features a nice mix of things: various percussive instruments, a unique bouncy bass presence and a quirky way of delivering the guitar parts. Lots of virtuoso piano runs and best of all the compositions are ridiculously complex with difficult to follow yet logically cohesive processions through various motifs and disparate cadences. An uncredited female vocalist sort of drops in and out unexpectedly offering a spectral haunting effect with wordless vocals. The album is extremely engaging and infinitely more dynamic than the rather sleepy indeterminate debut. The jazzy interludes are delivered by the combo effect of the percussion and piano rolls at key moments which keeps this album juggling the worlds of jazz, classical, zeuhl and avant-prog quite nicely.

The album closes with the lengthiest track "Eiram" which at 13 1/2 minutes really takes the band into its full potential and offers a wild ride through the world of wild unhinged prog that had been established on the previous tracks. A huge step up for POTEMKINE and one of those crazy complex prog albums for those who like it knotty and angular as it can possibly get. The reissues offer a whopping four bonus tracks which are equally as captivating especially the feisty "Rictus" which is more energetic than anything on TRITON's original track listing as the album itself simmers on mid-tempo for the majority of its run. Great album and the only one of POTEMKINE's three album run to really implement zeuhl bass grooves in full force.

 DMK by RYORCHESTRA album cover Studio Album, 2018
4.00 | 4 ratings

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DMK
Ryorchestra Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars RYORCHESTRA is basically the duo of Ryoko Ono and Atsutomo Ishigaki. Ono is well known as a Japanese flautist and saxophonist and was born in Sapporo and currently resides in Nagoya. She has been on the scene for quite some time cranking out some of the wildest improvisational music that Japan has offered but also has been at home playing the blues, jazz, progressive rock, noise rock and other forms of avant-garde music. She has been involved in numerous band experiences including Plastic Dogs, Gakusei Jikken Shitsu, O-Jazz, Murmur, Ryogui, RyokoSam and Sax Ruins. Ishigaki while not as well known is a bassist who has appeared in Next Order and with the Satoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya.

Together these two crank out a seriously wild and unhinged album with DMK which is based on the traditional French zeuhl rhythms but also includes the noisiest effects of the Japanese zeuhl scene as in the vein of Ruins and Koenjihyakkei. DMK features eight tracks at about 43 minutes of playing time and features Ono on alto sax, keyboards, flute and backing vocals and Ishigaki on bass however this is a band effort with other musicians joining in. Yasuhiro and Yuji Muto perform some powerful guitar parts and Nobukazu Katagiri offers the percussion. There are also numerous vocalists which include Sayaka Shiraki, Daijiro Matsuda and Yuzumi Tanimukai.

DMK is a varied album indeed and finds that perfect balance between extremely melodic and inviting with the excessively brutal and bombastic. The sweet flute performances and slew of female vocalists providing the stentorian choir antics of Magma can cede to a brash guitar based noisy style of metal with growly vocals accompanied by John Zorn inspired saxophone frenzies. Much attention is paid to how these two extremes balance out and in the end it's actually a perfected recipe. The album is both exquisitely rhythmic and beautifully melodic while adding chaotic brutal prog elements for a major contrast at the right places and never for so long that it all outstays its welcome. The album is always in danger of becoming too sickly sweet or derailing into a complete chaotic mess but Ono has mastered the Japanese art of balancing these two dynamics like a samurai.

The bizarre "Night Song" is one of the more placid moments on the album but finds its own methodology of conveying bizarre musical freedom especially towards the end as the bass grooves reach virtuosic intensity and then the guitar and sax chaos erupts but for the majority of the track it's almost the closest thing the album has to a "ballad." The songs while quite different from each other all share the same basic characteristics by providing the classic over-the-top Japanese style of zeuhl that runs the gamut from placidly beautiful to hysterically dramatic. Operatic vocals whiz up and down the octaves in pure angelic form while other vocalists scream, growl and deliver anguishing, even hellish sounds while tempos may simmer on slow and blissful to as fast as possible with all the instruments fighting it out to be heard.

While many of the characteristics displayed by RYORCHESTRA aren't unknown in the whacky world of Japanese zeuhl, this band certainly has taken it all to a more polished and streamlined level without sacrificing either melodic control or noisy chaotic eruptions. The ultimate beauty and the beast type of album, Ono has struck gold again in her zany cult way and remains one of the top acts in this strange nook of the Japanese underground. DMK in effects delivers all the right ingredients in the right proportions to make a delicious musical bento box of top notch extreme zeuhl madness for you and your demented loved ones to thoroughly enjoy at a quality control that is unthinkable in how many details were ironed out to craft such an intricately precise album. Highly recommended and one of my favorite Japanese zeuhl albums of the modern era!

 Egarés by UNIT WAIL album cover Studio Album, 2019
3.13 | 8 ratings

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Egarés
Unit Wail Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

3 stars The fourth installment in the universe of French zeuhl / heavy avant-proggers UNIT WAIL offers surprises for the first time in the band's complex and noisy career. Escaping the colorful psychedelic album cover art that the previous album "Beyond Space Edges" offered, UNIT WAIL once again reengages the black and white abstruse business of the album covers that began its career. ÉGARÉS has numerous meanings in French ranging from lost, missing, distraught and wild-eyed to simply referring to an ashtray! However i think the definition that fits best is "haunted" as UNIT WAIL's musical approach has always taken on a spookier than average mix of sonic experiments designed to startle and titillate as well as just pummel your senses with unceasing chaos and discord.

There has been a major disruption of the band at this point with ex-Shu-Niggurath founder Franck Fromy being relegated to a mere two tracks (designated merely as the soloist) on the album with keyboardist and main songwriter Vincent Sicot-Vantalon picking up the vacant guitar slot only not really performing up to Fromy's high energy standards. In addition ÉGARÉS finds the surprise addition of ex-Art Zoyd trumpet player Jean-Pierre Soarez The album features nine tracks that clock in at around 46 minutes and despite the continuation of the basically stylistic approach laid down on "Pangaea Proxima" which showcases the band's unique mix of Shub-Niggurath, Univers Zero, heavy 70s King Crimson varying traces of zeuhl inspired rhythms, ÉGARÉS is a noticeably less impactful album in relation to the excessive wildness the previous three efforts.

Noticeably absent are the excellent guitar contributions of Fromy and while Vantalon can get the job done as far as keeping the rhythmic aspects going, his forte clearly isn't in the guitar playing department. It's clear the band is giving it their all in crafting an album as worthy of soaking in as the previous three but the quality marker has clearly fallen a few notches despite a noble effort to spice things up with more clever moments of psychedelic keyboard events, moments of super funky bass and excursions into where the sonic textures of the trumpet can lead but none of it seems as satisfying as the unabashed noisy skronk-fest that constituted the band's first three albums. While not inherently bad per se, ÉGARÉS very much feels like a band that lost a key member and is grasping at straws in how to fill the void. Unfortunately the void wasn't filled. The album is noticeably tamer with less freneticism and more moments of just straight forward avant-prog moments. The guitar tones that Vantalon implements are also much softer and tame in comparison which makes the album feel like its lost that edge.

OK, i see that perhaps i had it all wrong and that the title ÉGARÉS actually refers to LOST after all as the band truly does sound like it lost some ground and is struggling to regroup. It could be that the band's formulaic run has simply run its course and Fromy lost interest as any particular band sound especially of the instrumental ilk does become stale after a while if considerable effort into reviving and infusing new creative efforts aren't pursued. On ÉGARÉS the members of UNIT WAIL seem like they're all basically performing business as usual and the moral has been upset in a major way. This is definitely the least compelling album of the band's four album run in their canon and more easily understood once it becomes clear of the crack in the chemistry that made UNIT WAIL an extremely well-oiled machine. It's an OK album that is perfectly listenable but in comparison to its predecessors seems like the band has lost its footing in many ways.

 Beyond Space Edges by UNIT WAIL album cover Studio Album, 2015
3.65 | 20 ratings

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Beyond Space Edges
Unit Wail Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars The only album cover to so far be released in color, BEYOND SPACE EDGES was the third release by UNIT WAIL and came out in 2015 two years after the previous "Retort." The album features 11 tracks at around 46 minutes playing time and features all the same members as the first two releases only this time UNIT WAIL offers some new sounds to the mix with guest musicians. Ana Carla Maza delivers some cello performances and although the band is an instrumental one, Sam Benzo guests on voice.

Not deviating significantly from the previous releases, BEYOND SPACE EDGES offers some new synthesizer tricks that sound inspired by Ozric Tentacles and bassist Adrian Luna offers a return to some of the Jannick Top inspired zeuhl bass grooves more prevalent on the the debut than the sophomore release. Once again this is dark sinister sounding noisy affair with Franck Fromy offering his best Frippian guitar antics in conjunct with the sporadic drumming frenzies, dueling synthesizer motifs of atmospheric construct and strange keyboard dominated extravaganzas.

As unpredictable as ever UNIT WAIL delivers a never-ending series of musical variations and not necessarily on a theme. This band seems to have mastered the art of random steering through the chaosphere of sound and simply tames it as it haphazardly navigates through it. Somehow these five members always find the exact proper way to simply dive into a groove or a riff or a sustained atmospheric presence and then just decorate around the edges until a bonafide avant-garde composition is born. "Polymorphous The Wise" offers something completely new for the band however with the addition of vocal contributions albeit completely nonsensical and in the context of a knotty avant-prog darkness that represses the gloomiest and darkest chapters of Fromy's Shub-Niggurath days.

While any UNIT WAIL album is a veritable smorgasbord of strange crazy complexities that deliver nightmarish atmospheres, time signature crazy complexities with guitar riffs and fireless bass grooves whizzing any which way along with the percussive paradigms of post-apocalypse pandemonium, BEYOND SPACE EDGES seems just a tad more in the arena of psychedelia as evidenced by the trippy album cover and wailing synthesizer tones and oscillations that seem to lurk around every corner but once let into the forefront offer a freaky cosmic venture into the early world of Krautrock. However like other UNIT WAIL albums, BEYOND SPACE EDGES also engages in the skronky guitar, bass and drum interplay that continues the frenetic display of organized chaos.

With another round of ingenuity wrapped into a ceaseless fire of chaotic bombast, psychedelic escapism and the pulsating pummeling of the senses, UNIT WAIL delivers yet one more installment into its ceaseless explorative nature where seemingly no time signature is left untapped and no contrapuntal weirdness has been not considered. The band's explorative nature is taken even further with the closing "I See Earth" which offers guest cellist Ana Carla Maza to delivers some of the most riveting and nerve-wracking sounds ever crafted on an instrument that is more often known for its stabilizing effect on a song structure. Once again UNIT WAIT delivers a successful batch of bantering little scalawag deviant mutants of sonic creation that will surely please the most adventurous music listeners out there. Demanding as hell and as cuddly as a porcupine, UNIT WAIT dishes it out with gusto!

 Retort by UNIT WAIL album cover Studio Album, 2013
3.95 | 27 ratings

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Retort
Unit Wail Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars After delivering their debut dose of high octane zeuhl meets heavy avant-prog with "Pangaea Proxima," the five-man instrumental band UNIT WAIL followed suit the very next year in 2013 with its sophomore release RETORT which turned up the energy level a few notches. While the debut delivered a veritable dose of Magma inspired zeuhl wrapped up in Franck Fromy's dark and macabre Shub-Niggurath days accompanied by sprinklings of guitar angularities in the vein of Robert Fripp, RETORT takes things into stranger, more surreal and at times heavier musical territory.

Once again all the music was written by keyboardist Vincent Sicot-Vantalon but the overall equation has been skewed with a greater variation in keyboard tricks and atmospheres and what seems like a greater effort to offer more extreme variations of avant-prog time signature workouts. Likewise the guitars are set to a heavier riff oriented mode instead of being confined to the odd background instrument that delved into complex contrapuntal weirdness. With an already demanding and varying debut, RETORT shows just how creative this team of imaginative musicians really was to craft a continuous flow of spicy tracks that offer so many differing stylistic approaches.

Featuring 10 tracks at around 43 minutes of playing time, the tracks are generally set to about 4 minutes but each delivers an array of intricate ideas crammed into each and every cadence. Each instrumentalist has his moment to shine whether it be the guitar-drenched opening "Kakdamon" or the bass slapping ferocity of "Numinosity." Noticeably more subdued is Vantalon's keyboard style this time around and even though it permeates every nook and cranny of the band's overall sound, the keys and synths just seem to take less prominence overall with the lion's share of emphasis going towards Fromy who delivers a veritable mix of mid-70s King Crimson and 90s Anekdoten under one roof.

Perhaps another aspect of RETORT that sets it apart from its predecessor is the fact that many tempos have been increased to make this a truly heavy rock experience for the majority of the album rather than the occasional deviation. It's clearly the same band as the chemistry seems locked in with each instrumentalist finding his way throughout the mix. Somewhat less active this time around is drummer Philippe Haxaire whose drumming seems a little bit more kept on the leash. While not completely devoid of throwing out some serious chops here and there, his role seems to have gravitated more towards rhythm keeper. In fact the entire band sound seems just a little more honed this time around.

There aren't a substantial number of differences to distinguish this album from the debut but they are noticeable to an attentive listener. It goes without saying that if either of these albums appeal to your sensibilities then the other will although having a preference is understandable and personally i think i slightly prefer the debut for whatever reason. It seemed a little more free in its approach whereas this one carries a bit more structure. Of course that all depends on tastes but overall the musicianship is basically delving out the same avant-prog splendor only with less traces of zeuhl this time around and more emphasis on Crimsonian guitar heaviness with discordant feedback and all the strange soloing techniques Fromy can muster up. Overall RETORT is a deliciously dark example of deviant rock that suits my tastes quite well and an excellent followup to its already irresistible debut.

 Pangaea Proxima by UNIT WAIL album cover Studio Album, 2012
3.82 | 25 ratings

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Pangaea Proxima
Unit Wail Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars Paris experimental prog band that was founded by Franck-William Fromy in 2009 best known for haunting the French underground in the 1980s and early 1990s with his demandingly dark zeuhl fueled avant-prog freak show Shub-Niggurath which delivered the underground cult classic "Les Morts Vont Vite" in 1986. UNIT WAIL carried on many of the aspects laid out by that band and featured along with Fromy on guitar, virtuoso drummer Philippe Haxaire, bassist Adrian Luna, keyboardist Vincent Sicot Vantalon and synthesizer wizard Emmanuel Pothier.

The primary difference between Shub-Niggurath and UNIT WAIL is that in this band Vincent Sicot Vantalon wrote all the material and offered his own take on the darkened detached world where zeuhl, avant-prog and heavy prog collide. Delivering more of a comic space rock approach in the context of zeuhl inspired rhythms that commingle with Frippian guitar abstruseness and layers of double keyboards, UNIT WAIL debuted in 2012 with its debut PANGAEA PROXIMA which featured 12 instrumentals that were relatively short instrumental compositions in terms of prog grandiosity with a total playing time of just over 44 minutes.

Having taken the best aspects of Shub-Niggurath and adding a few tricks learned on his short stint with 000 that flirted with the space rock additions, UNIT WAIL delivered a powerhouse of a debut with an excellent array of creative compositions fortified by seasoned veterans dishing out some of the most demanding instrumental interplay that the prog universe can offer. The album finds a brief cameo from James Huggett of Combat Astronomy on the track "Ombos" but basically this quintet really rocks the house with a gloomy mix of synthesized motifs that craft the main frame and allow the intricate bass work, angular guitar moves and jazzy drumming frenzies to drift on from one extremely creative track to the next.

The beauty of UNIT WAIL is they really nailed down their own distinct sound on this debut. While hints of Jannick Top inspired bass and Frippian guitar moves are ubiquitous, the oddball space rock cosmic detachment of the atmospheres keeps everything feeling like a strange horror soundtrack in many ways akin to some of the film scores that Goblin cranked out in the 1970s only not in terms of musical delivery but rather the overall emotional pull into that head space. The interesting differentials in the instrumentation is quite unique with busy keyboards dancing with funk inspired bass grooves while the guitar slinks around on its own timeline in any way it chooses like an avant-garde performer given license to exercise true unbridled musical freedom. Always on top of his game is drummer Philippe Haxaire whose fiery performances don't offer a lot of percussive sounds exactly but rather creative excesses within a limited number of skins to pound.

The dueling synthesizers offer the most diversity which sometimes dominate in the forefront and other times sort of just take a back seat to the whizzing virtuosity of the other members to strut their chops. Despite the virtuosity around every corner, UNIT WAIL is not just a technical circus of prog musicians impressing with their chops of steel but rather the compositions deliver an impending gloom and doom in a more cosmic manner as opposed to some of the 80s bands that delivered a depressive behind the occult scenes sort of approach. This is a type of wild and uncommercial music that will totally to appeal to those drawn to the dark and surreal album cover art.

It's otherworldly as if it emerged from some planet that self-destructed leaving a society only to exist in ruins. Keep in mind i'm reviewing the 2016 remastered version of PANGAEA PROXIMA therefore i've never encountered the original 2012 edition which presumably was of a shoddier production value. It's the music what counts and this is so up my alley. UNIT WAIL is one of the most interesting zeuhl / avant-prog / heavy prog acts of the modern era for sure. The creative collaboration between Fromy and Sicot Vantalon seems to be the absolute perfect chemistry for this creative ooze of oddball music. So far the band has released four albums. I hope they keep doing so.

 K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria) by MAGMA album cover Studio Album, 2004
4.25 | 772 ratings

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K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria)
Magma Zeuhl

Review by samirigon

5 stars 4.5 stars! It's a magma-quality album, what else do I have to say?

At first I didn't really like the idea of listening to an album from 30 years after the band's apogee, but now I absolutely love it, especially part 1, with its awesome bass lines, and part 2. This album is really engaging because of its more clear sound thanks to the new technologies used, plus it's still magma! I also find that it's an easier album to listen to compared to M.D.K. because of the lack of "shouting", which in my opinion is a bit harder to get into, but once you've listened to the album for some 20 times you begin to miss them.

Overall I've really enjoyed this album and I highly recommend listening to it!

 Pseu by PSEU album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.61 | 39 ratings

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Pseu
Pseu Zeuhl

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars Another rescue job from the patron saints at Musea Records who have been digging up long lost obscurities from the past and bringing them to life for the first time. While neo-prog was sweeping England in the early 80s as the comeback revival prog du jour, in France the zeuhl style unleashed by Magma never really died out although outside of the biggest acts such as Magma itself, the zeuhl style remained an underground sensation that very few were paying attention to at the time. The Bordeaux based PSEU was just one more act that never had a chance to release its material even though it recorded an album's worth of material in 1981-82.

The band existed from 1978 - 1983 and consisted of Philippe Dulong (guitar), Christophe Codet (drums), Eric Baron (bass), Thierry Jardiner (keyboards) and Christian Coutzac (vocals) and like all the underground sensations was active on the specialty club circuit which kept the zeuhl genre evolving ever further away from its parent source from Kobaia. This band was really obscure and lurked in the shadows even during its existence. While there is no doubt Magma was the primary influence (as is mostly the case with zeuhl acts), PSEU was one of the more uptempo outfits to tackle the Carl Orff inspired genre with its repetitive grooves and hypnotic atmospheric elegance.

PSEU was also one of the more energetic bands which while not exactly incorporating large stentorian choirs, offered thundering bass grooves, avant-prog inspired guitar sweeps sounding a bit like the works of early Present as well as crafting a more melancholic vibe that could easily point to the early moments of Univers Zero. While the instrumentation is sparse, PSEU made the most of it with only Christian Courtzac who offers both wordless utterances as well as mostly frantic spoken dialogue in French. The album begins with shorter tracks such as "Biguine" which are right out of the Magma playbook but at the end of the album three lengthy tracks of over 10 minutes each offer more diverse influences ranging from jazz fusion and the theatrical antics of Ange.

Overall PSEU was one of those between the cracks zeuhl bands that never really developed a distinct style that is unabashedly original however the material these guys did record was just off enough from anything especially in the use of guitar and musical motif arrangements that it offered a different shade of similar acts such as Uppsala, Abus Dangereaux and of course Magma itself. The things that it offers apart from other bands included avant-prog leanings ranging from the early RIO of Univers Zero and Present to the more discordant guitar work of Robert Fripp in King Crimson's most experimental phases and the Ange like vocal escapades. While Magma purists will surely deem this as close enough to be considered a mere copycat, careful listening will reveal glaring differences and since the performances are excellent and the compositions are enthralling for anyone who enjoys the micro-differences within the zeuhl genre will find themselves enthralled.

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Zeuhl bands/artists list

Bands/Artists Country
ALTAĎS France
AMYGDALA Japan
ANAID France
ARCHAIA France
ARKHAM Belgium
BONDAGE FRUIT Japan
SERGE BRINGOLF France
CAILLOU France
CORIMA United States
DAI KAHT Finland
DAIMONJI Japan
DÜN France
EIDER STELLAIRE France
ELEPHANT TOK France
ESKATON France
ÉVOHÉ France
FOEHN France
FRACTALE France
FREE HUMAN ZOO France
GA'AN United States
HAPPY FAMILY Japan
HIATUS France
HONEYELK France
IKARUS Switzerland
KAKUSENJO NO ONGAKU (BASE OF FICTION) Japan
KOENJI HYAKKEI Japan
LAGGER BLUES MACHINE Belgium
LAKTATING YAK United States
JAMES MAC GAW France
MAGISTER DIXIT France
MAGMA France
MUSIQUE NOISE France
NEOM France
NEW PLEASURE Canada
NOA France
OFFERING France
RYOKO ONO Japan
ORVALIANS France
PAGA (PAGA GROUP) France
PERCEPTION France
POTEMKINE France
PROTOPLASMA Hungary
PSEU France
RËLISP Mexico
RHŮN France
RIALZU France
RUINS Japan
RUNAWAY TOTEM Italy
RYORCHESTRA Japan
SC'ÖÖF Switzerland
SCHERZOO France
YOCHK'O SEFFER France
SEKKUTSU JEAN Japan
SETNA France
KENTA SHIMAKAWA United States
SHUB-NIGGURATH France
STALINGRAD 119 France
SUPER FREEGO France
SYNCOPATED SILENCE Russia
LAURENT THIBAULT France
FRANÇOIS THOLLOT France
JANNICK TOP France
UNIT WAIL France
UNIVERIA ZEKT France
UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA Italy
UPPSALA France
UTOPIC SPORADIC ORCHESTRA France
VAK France
CHRISTIAN VANDER France
VAULTS OF ZIN United States
VAZYTOUILLE France
WEIDORJE France
XALPH France
XING SA France
ZAO France
ZIG ZAG France
ZOIKHEM France
ZWOYLD France

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