VIVRE ET MOURIR

Sophomore album for Montrealers french singing « Dream Eaters » and here, at PA, the team in charge will have to wonder about the « prog folk » qualifying!

Allow me first to quote myself, talking about Mangeur de Rêves first album, 2019's Histoires à l'envers , ending my recension by « ...the conclusion leads to wonder what's waiting for us on a second offer, hopefully some day soon. One simply hopes for a slightly better and clear production... » As production matters, here is at once a big improvement. Clearer, longer, and most of all « louder ». This leading to that, anyone tempted to reduce « MdR » (pun intended?) to a bunch of Harmonium wannabees, be ready to swallow your tongue. And be advised PA Prog Folk Team, « eclectic » would be a more than well advised definition by now. Simply put, we now have a full band firing on all his cylinders, where the first album was showing two founding members flexing their muscles in front of three adequate support actors. The cover picture is more than an efficient metaphor for that purpose, showing the five musicians as wrestlers engaging in the middle of a church!

Alex Cégé, lead vocals and guitar, Jici LG, main guitars and backing vocals allow much more space to their three associates, all back to front. Florent Schmitt, once essentially performing on electric piano, can now be heard on a wider array of keys, thus thickening the sound. But the biggest change may be provided by the rythmn section, Jean-Philippe Major on bass, and especially Raphaël Liberge-Simard, drums and percussions, « in that order », as opposed to the first album where one could say he was « hand snapping ». Now, he truly rocks! And leads the way to the greatest change in sound.

From folk rockers, Mangeur de Rêves has become true Art Rockers with a dash of folk as a spice. And if one is led to think that the two founders are somewhat put to the backseat, nothing's can be so wrong. Jici LG is heavier, more versatile, yet hasn't lost his light touch for these atmospherics renditions « ala Beaumonium ». In fact, tracks 3,4 and 6, Courage, Nouveau Soleil and Vivre still respect all the specifics of a good quebecois folk song entranched in the great tradition of the seventies. But, in 2023, meet the new and improved Mangeur in chief! Alex Cégé now soars! His vocals even reach for the divine! One of the distinctive assets from the very beginning, with that clearer, cristalline recording, Cégé's singing is simply a thing of beauty. And from the moment they plug it all, adding by now to their progressive roots, elements of pop, rock , post rock and, why not, some heavy metal for good measures, the singer can't be overpowered and even express is inner Matthew Bellamy!

All is multicoloured now. Where Histoires à l'Envers opened on a thirty seconds of instrumental atmospherics, Vivre et Mourir goes for the jugular with a nearly three minutes prog instrumental, Dieu Soleil. And without transition, Animal, is a direct smile to the airwaves. If the definition of a true single potential still means something, this is it. As mentioned, Courage and the ambitious Nouveau Soleil, show the trademark balladic Dreamers side, only improved to a new level. Further exemplified by the following Les Fantômes, a power ballad of sort, tender a moment, truly rockin' the next. And Cégé's falsetto to die for.

The other pastoral one, Vivre, is simply my preferred one. I hear a Hackett ballad, the Foxes folk, that celestial whistling, all coated by LG's acoustic masteries. One complaint, i'd take twice the duration. The instrumental Mara shows in short the album dichotomy with is post rocking crescendo. And now, i'm a sucker for these mellow male and female quebecois duets and, on 15 000 nuits, Sabrina R.B., an ace out of Mangeur's sleeve, does not disappoint. A real winner.

The most unexpected and stunning addition to the band sound comes next. Titled Le Mangeur de rêves, to further dissociate any preconceived idea, it's a nearly thirteen minutes doom, yes « doom metal » heavyness; this is the only adequate word my second langage knowing of english allow me to use for this intrumental extravaganza, until we reach an antiklimax, and then Cégé's howling, nothing delicate for once, but oh! So powerful! If this is the direct reference to the album title « Live and die », here is the moment of passing.

But we're not over yet. So, Quand le Silence te Rattrapera, would fit as a resurrecting song? A nice prog anthem, a sort of Afterglow to end in fashion. Kudos boys! As sophomore jinx is implied, what a nice way to clear the obstacle!

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