TOZÏH

One of the newer zeuhl kids on the block, RHÙN is yet another emerging from France but this band led by the charismatically named Captain Flapattak (drummer, vocalist and head honcho in the vein of Christian Vander) has been around since at least 2008 but took a few years to release its 2012 demo EP " ÏH " and then finally released its debut full-length "Fanfare Du Chaos" the following year. It may have appeared that this band was one and done but here we are an entire decade after and RHÙN is back with its jazzified take on the zeuhl sound with TOZÏH.

Ten years is a long time and it's no surprise that TOZÏH features a completely different cast of members with not one returning except the good Captain himself that is. If you're looking for the real zeuhl deal in the vein of the more experimental section of the zeuhl supermarket then you can't go wrong with this fine 21st century release. TOZÏH only three tracks that slink over the 38-minute mark. The opening "Ehmët Um Rhët Sam" wastes no time going for the prog jugular with its 21 1/2 playing time. The second track "Sédalg Rhëvé (incl. Ygahpoporhtna Lrig)" follows with an 11 1/2 minute playing time leaving only the shorter 5 minute "Eripme Cirtcele" to close the album as a sort of outro piece.

This Captain really knows how to steer his vessel into the tumultuous zeuhl seas and directs his crew to crank out some seriously tasty chops that are based off the classic Magma sound (think "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" era) and then add heavy doses of psychedelia, jazz and proggier than usual for zeuhl time signature outbursts. The result is a very satisfying album that offers enough of the traditional touches to keep it firmly planted in zeuhl territory while taking bold measures to add unexpected twists and turns that break the hypnotic spell that this style of music excels at. The term playful has been applied to this band and that's actually a fitting description as the Captain loves to throw a wild zeuhl party, one where all the attendees are having the time fo their life.

The band pays homage to the great Magma with Kobaïan script and greater than average drumming prowess in the zeuhl context however RHÙN takes liberties Magma would never even consider making this band sound like a Magma cover band gone rogue by joining a jazz-fusion band and then taking many psychedelic detours. The variations in rhythmic drive and stylistic approaches too often deviate from the Magma playbook. While vocals are a vital aspect of RHÙN's style, there are not lush choirs to be heard here but harmonic counterpoints do grace the album's flow and the eccentric singing style of Ludal Le Chacal more than makes up for any of that. Overall this is a very satisfying zeuhl release and one of the best i've heard in a while but of course this is a style of music that only seems to attract the seasoned pros who are capable of breathing new life into it.

It's been ten years since we heard from Captain Flapattak and his band RHUN. That debut "Fanfare Du Chaos" from 2013 was a solid 4 star album that reached into double digits when it came to the musicians who played on it. From dual guitars on that one to none here as they have dropped to a six piece and only the Captain remains as it's an all new lineup. Some of this music must have been around a while as in the liner notes it says this about the music here "rearranged and augmented by past and present members of RHUN."

So a six piece this time with dual keyboards, drums, bass, violin and sax. The lead singer from the debut is gone and I feel this is a weak spot here but not always. There's just some sections that are quite comical when I listen to him sing. A 38 minute album with three tracks including that 21 1/2 minute opener.

Man that opener takes it's time to get going then some humerous vocals around 6 1/2 minutes. Some obvious MAGMA love here especially "Mdk" but "Udu Wudu" also came to mind. The chanting and zeuhlish vocals don't hit the fan though until after 10 minutes and they will come and go. I like that electric piano before 13 minutes and the bass 14 1/2 minutes in as the tempo picks up. Very much hit and miss for me.

The second track is over 11 1/2 minutes long and my least favourite. Especially early on with the fuzz, music and vocals. I do like when the horns get crazy. It settles after that then turns experimental including some native sounding vocals and drums(lol). Comical vocals of a different kind later and I like how it starts to slow 10 minutes in to the end. The closer is a 5 minute dip into some powerful zeuhl. Love that bass and the horns too. The vocals are much better here as well. Huge bass lines after a minute and check out that bass tone 2 1/2 minutes in. Some energy on this one. More of this please.

This was a disappointment from the first spin and that short closer shows me what might have been. But give them credit for trying different things and carving their own path within that zeuhl style. Three stars is all I got.