GOES TO THE COLLÉGIALE

Like most CD-r demos ever made, Madelgaire's is a rather short and hastily-constructed demo Ep, containing four tracks, mostly sung in English. The group was then fronted by Lossignol, who played violin and acoustic guitars and sang (backing & choirs), but the main singer was drummer Rocteur, while Letertre's Hackettian guitars and Chalon's key are very Bank-ian. Their line-up would remain constant until Chalon would leave in the course of 2005, and be replaced by ex-Globalys Bertrand Vanvarembergh later in the year. They've remained together since.

Opening on the Vae Victis track, one of two that would find its way onto the debut album proper, albeit in a longer and improved version, this is an almost-instrumental track, if you except the grizzly growls of bassist Mennem recorded while he's becoming cute with his wife and the chipmunk squeaks of Pascal (or is it Chalon) being cute with his own wife (just kidding guys? it will probably get erased quickly if you are generous enough ;o))), VV is a cool neo-retro-prog piece that will be retained as the first movement of their three-parts suite Les Banquets de l'Equinoxe, the pinnacle on their first full-blown album. The following is a medieval Arabisation of a local hero's name (that became their own) in the crusades. Up next is the other track that survived until their first album, an impressive genesis-sounding track with absolutely un-Genesis-like lyrics, sung by Pascal's high-pitched voice. Indeed the track seems to be a piss-off and a "ras-le-bol" towards anti-smoking regulations. The then-11- mins+ track will be slightly extended on the official album. Closing up is a Belgian pun of Tintin's album Rackham Le Rouge (but in German) and might be my preferred of their early works. Don't expect too much from a demo (from any demo, really), I don't even know if they still have some around.