EWAZ VADER

Zeuhlish Jazz-Rock Fusion from some of 21st Century France's best musicians. All but drummer Daniel Jeand'heur had worked extensively with the Christian Vander/Magma camp over the previous decade.

1. "Ewaz vader" (10:32) heavy jazz whose funky bass and electric piano play could be taken as both Zeuhl and Jazz-Rock Fusion. Daniel Jeand'heur's drumming and Emmanuel Borghi's are great while James Mac Gaw plays an amazing track of rhythm guitar that sounds like an extension of Borghi's left hand. Borghi's multiple keyboard sounds are all effective and impressive, but that synth in the eighth and ninth minute is awesome! Mac Gaw returns to the lead for the final 90 seconds--on multiple tracks--with Borghi's mutliple keys and Jeand'heur's free-flowing cymbal play. Hard to find fault with this--none in the skill and timing factors; it's just lacking a little in inviting/engaging melodies. Sometimes extraordinary/impressive skill is not the surest way to a listener's heart. (17.875/20)

2. "Fat" (15:38) slowly developing Zeuhlish electric piano chords and right hand over-embellishment open this one before some guitar notes and cymbal play join in during the third minute. By the middle of the fourth minute the bass has stepped in and, with the drums, they gradually establish forward movement for the massive train. The Magma-like three chord sequence persists, pervades, even dominates the entire length of the song while Mac Gaw and Borghi take turns shredding in the solo spotlights. Nice if you want to listen to lots of impressive solos, but it can get a little tedious if you give in to the hypnotic Zeuhl chords. (26.5/30)

3. "I had a dream / part III et IV" (14:47) gentle, absent-minded, almost pastoral, Mr. Rogers-like Fender Rhodes play opens this one for nearly two minutes before another soul begins to join in (Mr. Jeand'heur's cymbals). Philippe's bass drum-like bass and, a little later, James Mac Gaw's gentle electric guitar runs and arpeggi join in during the fourth minute. The music that is ever-so-slowly developed has a similarity to some of the more contemplative music of John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and John McLaughlin--until, that is, the 5:40 mark when the band launches into a energetic, hard-moving motif that conjures up more of Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever. Now this is great Jazz-Rock Fusion! Despite James Mac Gaw's leadership in establishing the "Vashtar"-like melodies, it is Emmanuel Borghi who takes the first solo, starting out in the middle of the eighth minute. Manu does great homage to the most dynamic Herbie Hancock solos: in fact, one of my favorite Fender Rhodes (and then synth) solos I've ever heard. (It doesn't hurt that the rhythm track beneath him is so solid--keeps me cruisin' so energetically.) At the very end of the eleventh minute the music takes a slight change in direction that threatens a shift into Zeuhl territory as James Mac Gaw enters into some crazy sonic realms with his screaling, heavily-effected electric guitar. Who'd have thought there were any sounds left to created on an electric guitar that Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, David Torn, or Guthrie Govan hadn't already created, but I swear I'm hearing a first during this awesome solo. The band then climbs a mountain toward a group crescendo before loosening the grips for a nearly-free fall descent into a Jannick Top Infernal Machina-like finish. AWESOME! One of the best J-R F jams ever! (30/30)

4. "Missing imperator" (13:11) opening with some McLaughlin-Nil-ish cacophony-turning-into syncopated Crimsonian polyrhythms this song makes me believe that the progression of this album, from start to finish, has been one of planned Zuehlish history and flow/interchange/evolution into King Crimsonian/Liquid Tension Experiment heavy prog metal. James is just burning up the center of the sonosphere while Manu, Phil, and Dan hold the Crimsonian base firm beneath and around. At 4:36 there is a sudden relinquishment of power into a more simplistic and spacious, if still driving, motif within which the four instrumentalists widen their tracks with fairly open craziness in their paths. Not a big fan of this song but it remains uber-impressive--especially within the context of the whole album. (22/25)

Total Time 68:28

For the most part this is a very impressive, powerful, and compelling display of dark and heavy journeying through the thickest forests of Planet Kobaïa, The Starless Court of Aspic Thrak, as well as the more paradisical jungles of Mwandishi.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Zeuhl-anchored Jazz-Rock Fusion. You will be hard pressed to find a stronger lineup of similarly-focused virtuoso musicians that these four.

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