TRUE STORIES... AND OTHER LIES

This French prog band hails from Rennes, and this is their second album. The foursome is led by David Chollet (guitars and vocals), Dominique Blanchard (guitars, vocals), bassist Benoit Toquet and drummer Lucas Planque, they sing in English BTW! Thank you, Anne-Claire Rallo of Bad Dog Promotions, for sending me this new discovery to review. The Rogue loves surprises!

Strangeness certainly shows its face on "Echo of a Silent Place", a modern guitar-driven tremor that holds back vigorously before convulsing into a streak of awareness. An ideal prelude (first French word) to the impressive "Earth Song ", the band shows off its style with aplomb (and a second), a gently rousing anthem that rocks back and forth between a gentle and aggressive guitar interweaving, a dual attack that works wonders both rhythmically as well as ensemble (and three) playing at peak level. The quality of the vocal delivery is on par with the immediacy of the melodic content. An exhilarating wake-up call.

"End of the Anger" stretches the boundaries even more, as the twin fretboards throttle forward without hesitancy, both separately carving their parallel paths, heading towards the same groove, the rhythm section fluctuating as need be, shifting gears where the opportunity demands, as both the limbering bass and choppy percussive attack the arrangement. It's always forceful, though never needlessly heavy, emitting an attractive dose of creativity that keeps the listener transfixed, as to what is next. Case in point, a sudden 'dub ah dah' vocal insertion that left me bemused. Bien joué! (and four).

Time for some insightful selections and "Green Eyes" prefers a more 'laissez-faire' (that would be five, now) epic that runs over 11 minutes, focused solely on expanse and melody, as well as a dreamier atmosphere, constructing harmony voices and orchestrations to set the tone. The mid-section presents a tremendous platform for jangling guitars to intertwine with filigree meticulousness, long enough for Toquet's burping bass to interfere rather brilliantly, no haste, no waste. The eventual set-up you can sense it coming all along, a blistering guitar solo ripples like an Atlantic gale, ratcheting up the tension , in full union with the expansive vocal work that started this amazing piece off. Toss in an acoustic guitar outro , 'you wake up from a gorgeous dream? wish it could have lasted longer'. Indeed! An exceptional discovery.

One must be dialed in to match the previous stroke of delight and "Reality of Dreams" simply stands up to the challenge, throwing in neo-jazzy guitar slashes that reek of Andy Summers's solo work, an even breezier melodic accoutrement (six) that highlights not only the duality of the voices but also the guitars, replacing the need for keyboards is not an easy choice, yet pull it off with unabashed talent. Offering acoustic and electric parallels is awe-inspiring.

The snarling initial brutality of "Never Again" was expected after all the previous luxuriance and Pryzme pull no punches, destroying any resistance (seven) until victory is achieved and no armistice (eight) to dwell on. Time to rest the weary bones after the strenuous battle, and ponder the future, the scat voice running under the shark guitars belly, long enough for the deliberate explosion to liberate the suppressed fury waiting to erupt. Other stories?True lies.

The longest track is the last, "Silent Place" suggesting a 12 minutes+ contemplation of some distant void, rambling electric slivers surfing over a galloping bass line, and a groove that will not let go. One guitarist drilling complex lines and another slashing wide berths , one soloing as if in a George Benson jazz-rock mode, the other extending long sustained notes. Crafty devils, these Breton lads! Smooth as Calvados, and intricate like a Bigoudène (look those up, that is what the internet is really for). 'Hope it's not too late , still got so much to do, taking a ride to somewhere'. Quite the moody and jazzy ride, wholly unexpected. Even more stunning is how it slowly evolves into a less subdued atmosphere, kicking into turbo charged gear, both vocally and instrumentally, with all the 'fioriture' (nine) left far behind, insistent and ultimately gloriously spun! The final minutes are sheer perfection.

A couple of radio edit of "Earth Song" and "End of Anger" complete the oeuvre (finally, ten). I just love first impression, and this is just plain 'magnifique' .

4.5 Crepes bretonnes

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