THIS IS NOT THE END

One of the major players in the world of avant-prog and the movement called Rock In Opposition, PRESENT formed in 1980 after the legendary Roger Trigaux left Univers Zero after that band released two of the earliest chamber prog albums that have become two of the top angular prog classics. The future of the band seemed to be nonexistent after the sad passing of Trigaux in 2021 who died in the middle of recording the band's eighth album but with the help of band members Pierre Chevalier and Kurt Budé along with sound engineer Udi Koomran, PRESENT has returned with its final chapter at least with Roger Trigaux along for the ride.

Appearing as if the title is letting the fans know that the band will go on, PRESENT returns in 2024 with its newest full-length album THIS IS NOT THE END, the first since 2009's "Barbaro (Ma Non Troppo)" and although PRESENT has never been the most prolific musical act in the world of prog, Trigaux has always exercised restraint and favored quality over quantity. However 15 years is by far the longest time between albums and it doesn't appear that Trigaux was engaged in any other musical activity ever since so the emergence of this grand finale of his R.I.O. run is not only quite welcome but miraculous.

Also amazing is that so many of the band members from the previous album are back for more. THIS IS NOT THE END features the return of Pierre Chevalier (keyboards), Dave Kerman (percussion), Keith Macksoud (bass) and of course the godfather of chamber prog guitar, Roger Trigaux himself. The album features a beefier lineup than previous releases with guitarist François Mignot, sax and clarinet player Kurt Budé and violinist Liesbeth Lambrecht joining the team for another slab of knotty angularity and despite all the time that has elapsed since "Barbaro," PRESENT has lost none of its music mojo. Sounding like the logical next step after "Barbaro, THIS IS NOT THE END similarly features three sprawling tracks but in this case not all are created equal in terms of running time.

The opening "Contre" is the shortest track and runs about 8 minutes long. Seemingly a continuation of the previous "Barbaro," this album opens with a more bombastic guitar stomp approach and immediately generates a zeuhl inspired rhythmic drive while utilizing complex counterpoints with the violin and wind instruments. Soon following, Trigaux offers something rarely heard in a PRESENT album and that is a vocal tirade where he does his best French speaking version of Captain Beefheart reciting a spoken dialogue with some sort of madman manifesto that finds him laughing hysterically afterwards! The rhythmic drive keeps it pulsating along as it does throughout the entire album but like most knotty angular difficult music section avant-prog albums, it does drift into strange musical motifs that deviate from the incessant zeuhl driven consistency. The violin and guitar parts are much more energetic than on past endeavors with Lambrecht sounding like the avant-prog version of Jean Luc-Ponty while Trigaux unleashes a psychedelic fervor more akin to the antic freak show that Acid Mothers Temple guitarist Makoto Kawabata dishes out at his most frenetic.

Inverting the order of the two title tracks, next up is "This Is Not The End, Part 2" which at just over 12 minutes is the next longest track. The bass heavy intro finds a thumping bass guitar joined by the bass clarinet and piano tinkling that soon offers all the complexities of what makes avant-prog so deliciously dark and doomy. It occurs to me about this point how much Trigaux looked back to his earliest years when he contributed to the first two Univers Zero albums which delivered a similar melancholy dished out by an array of contrapuntal complexity. The track is noticeably less beholden to the stabilizing effects that the zeuhl rhythms offer and offers a more freeform approach with crazy time signatures changing with every cadence. Overall this is the most "restrained" track on the album with the two tracks that bookend it unleashing a wilder ride of frenetic crazy syncopation!

The creme de la creme (well hell, it's all creme this time around!) is saved for last with the sprawling 26 1/2 minute "This Is Not the End, Part 1" which delivers the darkest ride of the entire journey. Somewhat of a more extreme combo effect of the first two tracks and beyond, the track delivers sporadic zeuhl rhythms but also pure chaotic outbursts and made all the creepier by a buzzing droning sound in the backdrop. Madman Trigaux makes a reprise with more dialogue in French only adding heightened exaggerated enunciations and madcap guffaws. As expected the track wends and winds its way through a series of rhythmically syncopated runs with eruptions of heavier increased tempo segments as well as the more pacified chamber prog approach. The skilled musicians offer an impeccable instrumental interplay throughout with a seemingly endless array of variations on a theme that allow the track to ratchet up the tension much like a well-performed post-rock album. Once again Trigaux offers some of the finest guitar work of his career with knotty guitar licks and angry chord stomps. Intricately designed and the sounds that avant-prog dreams are made of, this massive masterwork delivers all the creeped out intensity you could possibly hope for. It all ends with a big bang and a perceived musical farewell to the great Trigaux as he offers his last cachinnation and then seemingly drifts off in an ambient haze to the great avant-prog paradise on the other side.

Simply WOW!!! This is an outstanding final display of musical mojo from Trigaux and team. He really was one of the most gifted and talented alternative visionaries out there right to the very end. What could possibly be the FUTURE of PRESENT or it this band a thing of the PAST? If the title of the album and the two tracks offer any breadcrumbs then it seems that the band will continue since the musicians on this amazing album are clearly capable of keeping a top notch act like this afloat and go the way of Gong and Yes after losing their founding member. Whether or not PRESENT will continue on is anyone's guess but it's a certainty that the only original member who started the band 44 years ago won't be along for the ride. This album exceeded all expectations but then again PRESENT has been one of the most consistent acts in the truest sense in the most demanding corners of the avant-prog and world of Rock In Opposition. And while many newer acts aim for crossover appeal, Trigaux kept his avant-prog knotty and angular as ever. To my ears this album ranks right up there with the debut "Triskaidékaphobie" and the previous album "Barbaro (Ma Non Troppo)." A great t comeback album and excellent final offering from Trigaux. What a spectacular way to end his legacy. R.I.P., R.I.O royalty. You will be missed.

I was overall disappointed with this release. I've listened to this album three times, and even as a Present fan I don't like this. I've found that with this band the best thing about their songwriting is how it progresses. You really feel like you get a lot out of a Present song, which typically clock out at a little less than 10 minutes at minimum. With this song, aside from the first track, it really feels like Repulsion from their first album if they stretched it out 15-20 minutes and tried to break things up here and there. While I am saddened by their final breakup and the passing of Roger Trigaux, I am even more saddened that their final album disappointed me. Although, speaking of Rodger, I really enjoyed his gutair work. It helped make the album not as monotonous and boring. While sure, it's asking a lot to top their previous album, repeating the same two melodys for almost the entire album bores me to sleep.

With Roger Trigeaux's passing so too his band will also pass on. Despite what the album's title says. Roger passed in 2021 during the recording process but the sessions were done. Pierre Chevalier has taken the reigns and done a fabulous job admitting there were decisions that had to be made about certain things and they tried to do what Roger would have wanted. I'm not sure where Roger's son Reginald is being a long time member but they brought in guitarist Francois Mignot from NI and PINOIL to take his place.

A seven piece although they include Udi Koomran as the eighth member and for good reason. AHVAK did the same many years earlier and yes drummer Dave Kerman was on that record and on here of course. What a professional this guy is, blows me away. It's actually interesting all the musical connections on here with all of these guys playing together it seems at some point.

In fact ARANIS, 5UU'S and UNIVERS ZERO are well represented here. The chemistry is something. I don't remember ever having this feeling of standing in the middle of a band performing and getting dizzy from the counterpoint, the tempo changes and the interplay all done as one.

So of course Roger is on here playing keyboards and adding spoken words which are gruff and kind of creepy especially the laughing parts. I haven't mentioned Keith Macksoud on bass or Kurt Bude on sax, clarinet and bass clarinet, and finally Liesbeth Lambrecht on violin and she is from ARANIS. Songs are built on rhythm and repetition and are a combo of heavy rock and classical. Read that on the press release I think on the Wayside site.

The opener "Contre" at 8 minutes has some of those spoken words from Roger and laugher. The piano is stark and full of suspense from Chevalier and that will come and go. There is so much going on before that calm after 5 minutes. Kerman is impressive here and we will get hit hard again. "This Is Not The End Part 2" is over 12 minutes and features some killer violin and I love the bass clarinet. Some good contrasts on this one and man it gets almost stifling, suffocating with all that is going on when it gets intense.

The final track is "Part 1" of the title track and is a monster at 26 1/2 minutes. The atmosphere to start makes me nervous. And yes Roger does return speaking and laughing around 3 minutes in. The voice continues for a while the bass clarinet leads then some nasty outbursts before it get dense 9 minutes in, maybe crazy is a better word. Kerman is on fire but then just a quick a calm that lasts a while broken by the violin 12 minutes in. It starts to move after 16 1/2 minutes then a couple of minutes later the tempo speeds up. How long can they keep this up? Violin and drums are nuts late. What a composition!

A top three PRESENT album but I need to have a PRESENT marathon and come up with some kind of an order. They never disappoint. Without question a contender for album of the year for 2024. Beat this!

I have not been this excited about a piece of music since the release of "A Drop of Light" by "All Traps on Earth" at 2018. A new Present record is also unexpected since the passing of Roger Trigaux at the age of 70 in 2021. Apparently, the music was recorded during his illness, and he passed away in the middle of the recording sessions. All of this might lead one to think that the music would perhaps be a little reflective, lacking new ideas and orientation. Well, nothing can be further from truth.

This record sinks its roots into their previous album Barbaro (Ma Non Troppo) and then takes off from there in a true progressive spirit.

Music is their usual mixture of chamber rock, avant rock, RIO and zehul, incorporating sharp, urgent guitars, ever present bass which are well supported by myriad of other instruments ranging from woodwinds, violins and acoustic piano etc. From the perspective of rhythm changes, the compositions are very well balanced. We are not hit with a relentless wall of sound; instead, bombastic elements are interrupted with softer sounds of woodwinds and quieter sections.

The musicianship is absolutely top-notch. Although the compositions are complex, everyone plays with accuracy and complete coherence. I especially like the Pierre Chevalier's acoustic piano. His touch on the keyboard reminds me of Glen Gould; such crystal clear, distinct notes from every single key. Incredible!

The two longest tracks in the album "This is Not the End, Parts 1 & 2" are where we notice the advancements in the composition technique they utilized to date. These two tracks use circular structure with instruments exchanging not only the melody lines but also interrupting each other with jagged uncomfortable bursts. To some, the music might seem repetitive, but this is because of the circular structure of the compositions; circularity and repetitiveness should never be confused. Philip Glass's symphonies are circular, not repetitive. This style of composition is expertly implemented by the group where tension, sustainment and release phases are perfectly positioned. Absolute delight!

The progressive element in their music become apparent when this album's compositions are compared to their first two albums which I also love ("Triskaïdékaphobie" and "Le poison qui rend fou"). In comparison this record has clearly laid out musical ideas that are implemented perfectly without the wandering melodies and rhythms as if one is lost in a city but enjoying the experience, which seems to be the case in the first two Present records.

I highly recommend this record.

Though not a member of the eight "official" RIO bands, Present appeared not long after. It was founded in 1979 by Roger Trigaux, a founding member of Univers Zero, which is a band I respect more than I enjoy (and that sentiment can largely be applied to the original RIO movement as a whole). They're often minimal and moody and influenced by chamber music. I can appreciate it on a certain artistic level, but I don't really like it that much.

This Is NOT the End was my first exposure to Present, and I like it a lot. It has a lot less of the chamber music-influenced stuff I associate with Univers Zero, but it has plenty of exciting, experimental, and overall-weird passages. This release is the band's first since 2009, but it is, despite its title, the band's final release. Trigaux, the band's driving force, passed away in March of 2021, in the midst of recording.

"Contre" opens with jittery, nervous energy. Crunchy, syncopated guitars and whirring synths make for an anxious, disorienting atmosphere. Trigaux's vocals are slurred and demented, and the verses have the tense feeling of something you'd hear in the background of a spy thriller. Strings squeal, guitars twist, and the indefatigable rhythm marches onward. The lead and rhythm elements feel like they're pulling in opposite directions, but it's deeply satisfying.

Coming next is "This Is Not the End, Part 2". It shares some thematic and tonal throughlines with "Contre", but it's darker and more subdued, at least at first. Piano, violin, and clarinet lend a mournful character to the piece. There is a lot of repetition here, but it's utilized effectively. It builds tension, and the gradual changes are satisfying. (At least for the first ten minutes or so; the last couple minutes do feel a hair dragged-out.)

This Is NOT the End ends on the 26-minute first part of the title track. The various elements?guitar, piano, and clarinet, mainly?circle about each other nervously, as if they're pushing the limits of their own sonic territory. There's a sense of some impending storm being held back. The start-stop rhythm and occasional louder burst of noise add to that feeling of foreboding. Parts of this composition can linger for longer than entirely necessary, but the mood it cultivates is still enjoyable.

About two-thirds of the way through its runtime, this cut veers off into a wild, wiry riff. Stabs of Mellotron, piano, and reeds lend gravity to this passage. After the long buildup which preceded it, this is an especially impactful moment. Part 1's climax is powerful and enthralling. Though Roger Trigaux didn't live to hear its completion, this feels like a fitting end for the band he helmed for over 40 years.

Present's final album is a dark, stormy opus. Avant-garde influences abound here. Unusual keys, chords, and instrumentation swirl over zeuhl-inspired marching rhythms. Parts can perhaps linger longer than they should, but the overall effect of the album is potent.

Review originally published here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/05/20/album-review-present-this-is-not-the-end/