(IM)PATIENCE

I'd been waiting for this album for more than five years. The first time I saw Madegaire on stage, at the Spirit of 66 (Verviers, Belgium), I felt in love with this gentle art of progressive rock. And now, I can listen to old and new material from Madelgaire and it sounds always in this pleasant way I kept in my mind. (Im)patience is a really ggod addition to any collection for every who likes light neo-prog. Only the first song is in english and it is good like this. The french lyrics are poetic and it's not impossible to like this songs without understanding the french language.

It's difficult to estimate at how much (Im)Patience the band's followers had to endure, because the promise of this album dates back to Mathusalem's days, but let's just say that since the group's only personnel change (Bertrand Vanvarembergh, ex-Globalys) in late 05, the clock started ticking, and it's been half a decade's nerve-wracking (Im)Patience, hence the album's tongue-in-cheek title. Lead by their two lead singers the low-pitched frontmen Lossignol and the higher-pitched drummer Rocteur, the group develops a neo-symphonic prog with heavy progressive folk ambiances and tell French-sung historical tales in the theatrical raconteur-troubadour style, somewhere between Ange and their buddies AmAndA, but haven't developed the visual theatrics aspects (yet). The group is also pulled by Bertrand's rather wide array of keyboards (including a loaned mellotron) and solid ethics and perfectionism, inherited from his Globalys days. The bon-vivant Memen (bass) and Letertre (electric guitars) round up the group.

Opening one of only two surviving tracks from their '02 demo, Gimme A Light is the of two tracks sung in English, but has it ever been extensively re-worked and extended to almost 14 minutes and the musical passages sound between Anglagard and W&W-era Genesis. Pascal's vocals and rant onto anti-smoking regulations are the obvious link to the older version, and this neo-prog track is a witness of their earlier Genesis influences. The album closes on the other English-sung track, the 9-mins+ Regrets, which is much in the same Anglagenesis mode. Oh yeah, I'm not sure if it's a wink or for real, but Dominique also adds a live-recorded guitar piece that can only draw risky comparisons with Hackett's Horizon.

The other older track is Vae Victis (with now added vocals, but without the grunts and squeaks of old), that has been incorporated in their mega three-part 27-mins+ Banquets De L'Equinoxe suite, which is obviously the core and centre of the album, their "meisterwerk" if you wish. Sung in French by Dominique Lossignol (in a lower-pitched voice), it (the suite) shows that the group seems much more at ease in that language, but also that their folkish-medieval influences are also their true personality in the raconteur- troubadour mode, much more so than their incessant Genesis-references. The quieter Les Murs takes us in the Ange world of theatrics, but spiced with an AmAndA (their buddies) twist for good measure and mellotron a-go-go. The slow-starting 11-mins+ Dame Brune movement is their most delicate moments with both Letertre and Lossignol arpeggio-ing away on their acoustic guitar, while Bertrand's synth layers are adding depth, and Dominique's hypnotizing chants are driving us up Les Murs in ecstasy. Rocteur's drumming is particularly effective, while Memen's bass punctuates to the perfection the ambiances. There is a really strong passage where the vocals and music alternate exchange and enhance each other, producing a spine-chill moment.

I have a few slight remarks about the group's first official release, namely the "modern" artwork not really fitting the sonic folky/symphonic contents, but also the juggling between two languages. If the group does quite well in English, the band's real character and heart explodes in the French-sung tracks. So I'd advise them to choose one medium or another for their future endeavours' cohesiveness. I'd also ask if Lossignol intends on picking up his violin again for future works. Definitely one of the year 2010's top 3 albums from Belgium, and even maybe in the top 3 of the year's French-speaking prog albums.

Wow !! This album is a very nice surprise, having had no expectations when listening to it for the first time. But within the first minutes, I am taken to a place I really likes.

I am used to listening to symph prog albums which comes across as neo-prog albums. In this case, the opposite is happening. This album is a largely fully blooded symph prog album with references to the likes of Ange, Anekdoten, Yes and Genesis. The music here is really epic and grandious. It is also filled with a wide aray of colours. Just like the first time I tasted Chimay Bleu. Which I am not doing now, btw.

The first song are sung in English and has a lot of Genesis and Marillion connotations. A very good song, but the album takes a nice turn to France and French symphonic prog on the rest of the album. The French vocals reminds us all that Belgium, the homeland of Madelgaire, is a country with two languages. Madelgaire's vocalist Pascal Rocteur does an impressive job here. The use of vintage keys like moog and hammond is really pleasing too. This in addition to the usual guitars, keyboards, drums and bass setup.

This is a great album from Belgium which should please all fans of French symphonic prog. Not to mention those also into neo prog. Let's hope Madelgaire will return again with a new album because I really like what they are doing on this album.

4 stars

Madelgaire - a very fine and intresting band from Belgium. They released one album untill now in 2010 named (Im)Patience. Well, I must tell that I was quite impressed by this album, very well done instrumental sections, pleasent voice , what else a winner for sure. There are lenghty pieces with complicated arrangements bordering neo with symphonic something close with what another band done in the past from Belgium Globalys who is also related with Madelagaire in terms of line up, and here and there hints from Genesis Wind and wuthering era. There are pieces sung in english and aswell french, both languages are fiting ok in this context, maybe the french one is little more pleasent and natural of course for the singer. Mellotrojn, guitars, drums, bass all is in good measure to creat a very leasent release. A nice one in the end and for that reason 4 stars from me, all pieces stands as great with a plus on Banquets De L'Equinoxe suite - divided in 5 pieces clocking around 30 min in lenght. recommended, nice digipak format.