VIVRE ET MOURIR

A little flashback to the already distant year of 2010 when I told Jean Philippe MAJOR that HAMADRYAD's album "Intrusion" was bad......unfortunately history later proved me right, it is by far the group's worst album of the time. A little historical reminder to say that nothing is definitive in a man's life since here I am reviewing the second album of MANGEUR DE REVES Quebec rock group formed in MONTREAL in 2016 and of which JPM is a member.

Please note: I don't know the Montrealers' first record, I come with new ears. The theme of "Live and Die" dixit Alex CEGE explores mythology, depth psychology and human relationships?multiple choices to say the least. The group is categorized as "Prog Folk", we are far from it today except on a few passages we will see it below. Alex CEGE & Jici LG, the two founding members, left a wide field of expression for the three other musicians compared to their first record which was more of a duo with accompanists.

"Vivre et Mourir" begins with an energetic and very beautiful instrumental piece "Dieu Soleil", certainly a good choice (8/10). "Animal" a bit bluesy and very radio-friendly follows, the progressive rock will wait for the moment, Alex's singing is very pleasant (8/10), Gérald you will be able to play this one on repeat! "Nouveau Soleil" is on the contrary a real progressive mid-tempo fresco with a really marked HARMONIUM side, too short for my taste (9/10). The sequence with "Les Fantômes" comes naturally, this one is "beautiful" as hell in its first half, with a brilliant Alex CEGE, almost feminine vocals in a very extended register (9/10).

The acoustic "Vivre" and the magnificent instrumental "Mara" come, both a little too reduced before attacking "15,000 Nights" and its male/female duet, Alex is helped here by Sabrina R.B, it's clear and beautiful, bucolic, a high level melodic candy (9/10). The only epic of the album arrives, more than twelve minutes with the piece that bears the name of the group, here no folk or Quebec song (except for the first minute and then again), no more BEAU DOMAGE than HARMONIUM or EXCUBUS, the direction taken is a muted contained violence worthy of the ANATHEMA of the beginnings, a mixture of post rock, softened doom and....symphonism, bluffing and unexpected (10/10), Raphaël LIBERGE SIMARD is remarkable on the drums and various percussions and the six string players are not left out (the meeting between JOY DIVISION and SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES for those who knew the British new wave of the eighties...)

The concluding track "When the silence catches up with you" (9/10) poses as an outlet which takes up all the sensibilities previously heard with high-pitched vocals (two voices again) and which gives it a particular character with the return towards an enchanting progressive of high quality, a silence that I would have appreciated longer, six minutes is too short gentlemen!