LALU

A group under the control of a French musician, you have to stop there and see what the substantial progressive marrow is made of. A group that had struck me favorably with its 'Oniric Metal' from almost 20 years ago; the penultimate with Damian yes the one who has tasted a number of groups and projects, the one who landed at ARENA, always present here in vocal session but who I would dream of seeing live. A fresh, recent album, 2 large pieces of more than 10 minutes, a prog metal sound on the edge between the progressive of the 70-80 dinos including YES yes Damian pulling on that of Jon; the YES of the 80s which tried syncopated and more direct rhythm; a soft prog metal sound, one of those which gives energy without showing the display of scales linked together at a hundred miles an hour... but which leaves a musical clairvoyance; a bit of DREAM THEATER, especially RUSH in the progressive excesses.

A fresh and quickly accessible album, whether you're a fan of Damian's voice or not. For the trouble I went back to his discography with LANDMARQ and THRESHOLD, and if we mix a little of the two, we arrive somewhere at the LALU sound, stamped melodic ambient prog metal. Melodic but progressive attention with breaks, intimate cinematic atmospheres and energy to spare. In short, a very good album of which I do not dissect all the titles one by one, not having seen the short hour of composing the different titles go by. Ah the final bass on 'The Wondering Kind' with this hint of a flagship GENESIS title still made me raise my ears just when I realized that it was the end, proof if it I needed this album to flow naturally. on 'Is That a London Number? ' TOTO reminiscences emerge to bring a fresh style that I spoke to you about from the start. Good for the eponymous title 'The Fish Who Wanted to Be King', apart from the sound of 'Talk' by YES which made me look for the resemblance, I could not fail to point out that the guitar riff of SAGA, you know the one syncopated, gripping, which spurts throughout the titles, well I found it and got up to put the replay on before continuing with the next title; Joop's solo is incidentally one of the most beautiful on the album in this track; in short, an album to (re)discover in today's progressive world.

Lalu is a prog band formed and lead by French keybordist-composer Vivien Lalu. This is their 4th album, following closely after 2022's Paint the Sky, and their 2nd album to feature premier vocalist Damian Wilson (Ayreon, Star One, Headspace, Threshold) and he shines throughout the album. Although this band has been designated as progressive metal, this most recent album is really not that at all, fortunately, as it is more melodic and contains more elements of AOR style rock. I would call it more of a mixture of melodic rock, Neo prog, and classic symphonic prog, with some more modern, heavier, and jazzy elements as well. And it is quite wonderful, a delight from start to finish. There is certainly more than enough great classic proggy instrumental flourishes throughout to satisfy the prog fans, but also maintains solid melodic lines and themes (to not scare away the non-prog rock fans), as well as a diversity of styles, creating a fun, entertaining and unique blend of driving, rockin' prog songs, from the shorter, jazzy instrumental, Reversal of Fortune, to the many highlights of the more epic length Amnesia 1916 and title track. Best Tracks: Amnesia 1916, The Fish Who Wanted to Be King, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, Digital Fear, Reversal of Fortune. Rating: 4 stars

The playing is great. These are great instrumentalists. But an album should be more than good playing. Especially a prog album. With these high ratings, I expected a lot. but this is a boring album.

Reset to preset - Very safe version of progressive metal as Lalu is labelled here. It doesn't invite me to continue to listen, although the rhythm section is nice 5.5/10

Won't rest until - The second song isn't very inspiring or groundbreaking either. As a prog fan, I try to cling to snippets of ingenuity or surprise. All I hear is open doors being kicked in. 5/10

Emotionalised - Dreadful middle of the road/AOR type of song. I hated it 40 years ago. I hate it even more now. 4/10

Paint the sky - One of the nicer tracks. Nothing special for me 6/10

Witness to the world - Very obligatory song with cringy lyrics and an obligatory guitar solo 4/10

Lost in Conversation - Another song that sounds like an uninspired track from an 80's AOR band. I can't bear the lyrics either 4/10

Standing at the gates of hell - I love the jazzy outing on this track. I love the organ even more. This is one of the better songs on the album. Although I don't really like the rocking start and finish. I don't get why you would combine this. It doesn't work 7/10

The Chosen Ones - The composition is quite ok going into interesting directions. Nothing too spectacular and nothing new. But the lyrics, I can't stand them. The chorus saves the song. 6/10

Sweet Asylum - Nice guitar instrumental 6/10

Sweet song - Yet another 80's AOR song. Not something I would ever return to. 4/10

All of the lights - Fitting closer for this album 6/10

I don't see how this can be a recommendation for prog fans. We have heard this type of music before, executed better with better lyrics. I am unsure why this even should be 2 stars. 1 star it is.

Highly desired, probably not really expected anymore though. But good things need to mature, that's approved. LALU is the brainchild of French keyboarder and composer Vivien Lalu. Now it's quite obvious, with an interval of roundabout eight years he's releasing new albums under this moniker. Since having received rather glowing reviews already for the predecessor albums, this is the third effort in a row. No doubts, he has brought a noteworthy ensemble of musicians together to implement his intentions. Eventually the result is a collection of eleven varied songs, having its roots more in heavy progressive art rock than genuine prog metal, just trying to properly sum it up. And now something special at first, we have two recorded versions of the album title track on this occasion. While both are having exactly the same running length, okay, up to the second, one might expect a vocal based one, yet the other being instrumental. Simply by cutting out the singer (yeah, it's Damian Wilson!) concerning the mix.

But no, that's not the case. Different line up, different flow, I'll keep it up to you to determine the particular variations and the preferred item. The staff's core is completed by Joop Wolters (guitar, bass) and drummer Jelly Caldarelli, who is also involved as the co-producer. The brilliant Damian Wilson shines with a multi-varianted performance, partially close to Jon Anderson, like on the opener Reset To Preset. And then furthermore there is a really huge guest list, which leaves nothing to be desired. No reason to recite them all, please have a look at the production credits. Lalu is pulling the strings in a rather modest manner. For example his keyboards are taking a comfortable backseat in comparisn to the omnipresent electric guitars. That said he's providing the artistical frame, and the majority of the stirring compositions. Allowing as much liberty as possible hereby, in consideration of the prolificness the involved musicans are able to deliver.

Well, they are painting the sky in a very colourful manner, means one hour playing time of sheer beauty. At this time I'm really flabbergasted by the dedicated radio friendly prog chart stormer like Emotionalised and Lost In Conversation. This is coming closer to the likes of Lifesigns, Toto or Saga, simply perfect compositions featuring proper sing-along character. Not yet, but this sometime may go over to the heavier and more complex songs like both the album title tracks, that are rather corresponding to, let's say, Riz Story's Anyone or For All We Know. And then Standing At The Gates Of Hell for example even delivers an excursion into jazzy territories. What a great album! Technically flawless, and emotionally absolutely touching. When considering the sheer amount of new prog releases constantly coming in, anyhow, I'm sure this will accompany and inspire me for a long time to come. Finally I'd like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Vivien Lalu for making such a beautiful gem real.

Lalu is a prog metal band who release two albums since now. The name of the band is take from the musician's name Vivien Lalu, he is more of a guest musician and composer than playing in a single band, working with some great bands from metal zone like Shadrane or with the german musician Hubi Meisel. Second album was released in 2013 named Ark after almost 8 years silence from this band. Another impressive line up with bass plaer from Symphony X - Mike LePond, guitaristSimone Mularoni from DGM, excellent omnipresent drumer Virgil Donati, Martin LeMar with vocal duties from Tomorrow's Even and now in Mekong Delta and of couse Vivien Lalu on keybords, so a super group. The album, musically is not something new, but is very well produce and played, creating on some pieces a atmopsphere hard to describe in words, you must listen to convinced is great. The progressive metal is on every track, good chops and time signatures, delivering a solid metal album. The musicianship is tight and awesome. Each instrument sound crystal clear. Something to mention is that while all the music is composed by Lalu he never bursting on keys, he doesn't have fast key solos, he only keep the atmosphere of the piece on the right direction. I might say he has some very intristing arrangements, he never shows his technical playing like other prog metal kyebordists but for sure he can create some beautiful soundscapes and intelligent elements. In the end even I find Ark a quite solid prog metal album, I don't think is better then the first, but close I might say. Forte tune Revelations, an epic clocking around 20 min, a real pleasure.3 stars rounded to 3.5 for sure.

After eight years away from the studio, French keyboard player Vivien Lalu and his project Lalu have returned with an impressive new lineup and an even more impressive album in the form of Atomic Ark. Featuring Martin LeMar (Mekong Delta), Mike LePond (Symphony X), Simone Mularoni (DGM), and Virgil Donati (Planet X) as band members, as well as guest musicians like Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Jens Johansson (Stratovarious), Atomic Ark is the product of top-notch players, and the songwriting is strong enough to make the album feel even greater than the sum of its parts.

Rather than relying on otherworldly technicality and mind-bending scale runs to show the worth of these musicians, Atomic Ark's main focal point is on well-crafted compositions, detailed songwriting, and strong melodies. Tracks like "War on Animals", "Momento", and "Deep Blue" all clock in at under four minutes and feature extremely melodic hooks, but intricate musical details keep things feeling progressive and interesting. For a prog metal release, Atomic Ark is certainly on the catchier side of things, but a song like the twenty-minute-long "Revelations" proves that Lalu isn't content with just sounding like a melodic metal band.

Even at its most straightforward and melodic, Atomic Ark features clever drum fills and captivating keyboard flourishes that become extremely rewarding during repeat listens. Lalu's music just reeks of classy professionalism, and fans of bands like Anubis Gate, Dream Theater, Ayreon, and Cloudscape should find plenty to enjoy from Atomic Ark. Let's just hope we don't have to wait eight years for another album!

LALU is the project of keyboardist Vivien Lalu. Some noteable members of the band include Martin LeMar from TOMORROW'S EVE on vocals and Ryan Van Poederooyen the drummer for Devin Townsend. I must admit the vocals bug me somewhat because he reminds me of David Coverdale at times. Even if I liked the vocals the music here while outstanding at times just doesn't do much for me overall.

"Yesterdayman" opens heavily with pounding drums. Keys then vocals join in as it settles down. It kicks back in before 3 minutes then settles once more. "Wolven Eyes" is fairly heavy with deep vocals. It settles with keys and reserved vocals before 2 minutes. A guitar solo follows as it kicks back in. It's ok. "Windy" opens with fragile vocals and keys. Synths come in. It does get a little fuller. Not a fan of this one at all. "Night In Poenari" kicks in around a minute to an uptempo and heavy soundscape. Vocals after 2 1/2 minutes then it calms right down. Not for long as a stampede of drums comes in. Contrasts continue.

"Moonstruck (The Soulish Element)" opens with some atmosphere. Keys before a minute and vocals follow. "Timestop" features more atmosphere. It kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes but it's fairly laid back as reserved vocals join in. This is a catchy and relaxed section. The tempo picks up before 5 minutes then settles back. "Star Watcher" is spacey to start.It kicks in when he screams and keys galore follow. It's ok. "Potboy:The Final Fantasy" is the over 18 minute closer and the best track. This sounds way better as we get some Metal ! Some spoken word samples 1 1/2 minutes in then it kicks back in heavily. Great sound 10 1/2 minutes in.The rest of the track is hit and miss. Not a fan of all the piano at one point.

This has it's share of good moments but I can barely muster 3 stars.

Lalu is a prog metal band who release a single album in 2005. The name of the band is take from the musician's name Vivien Lalu, he is more of a guest musician and composer than playing in a single band, working with some great bands from metal zone like Shadrane or the german musician Hubi Meisel. Anyway after colaborating with these bands he decided to form his own band - Lalu. The album was released in 2005 named Oniric metal. On this album Lalu invited some strong musicians like, the former bassist from Annihilator, the drumer from Devin Towsend, JoOp Wolters on guitars, a name that shoud be more on our lips when we talk about prog metal guitarist and the excellent vocalist Martin LeMar, while Lalu keeping the atmosphere on keyboards. The album, musically is not something new, but is very well produce and played, creating on some pieces a atmpsphere hard to describe in words, you must listen to convinced is great. The progressive metal is on every track, stunning chops and time signatures, delivering a superb metal album. The best pieces are: Wolven Eyes - here Martin LeMar shines on vocals, Timestop and the longest from here Potboy:The Final Fantasy, the rest are above average. This album desearve much more attention that is got today, this worth every second of it. The musicianship is tight and awesome. Each instrument sound crystal clear. Something to mention is that while all the music is composed by Lalu he never bursting on keys, he doesn't have fast key solos, he only keep the atmosphere of the piece on the right direction. I might say he has some very intristing arrangements, he never shows his technical playing like other prog metal kyebordists but for sure he can create some beautiful soundscapes and intelligent elements. Oniric metal desearve 4 stars for sure, it's time for this album to break the border of underground in prog metal. Recommended

This is a gem that goes, I think, rather too unnoticed.

While this album features all the usual trappings of progressive metal, namely the male vocalist with the high singing range, the secret bass player (I dare you to find one on almost any prog metal album), the double bassed riffs, the wild guitar solos, and vampires, it also plays around with some nice unexplored areas. The title, Oniric Metal, should set this apart as its own distinct form of music. The mastermind, Vivien Lalu, plays the keyboard but doesn't hog the lead (a rarity that is not very common in album composed by keyboardists); rather, he hurls his sounds into a tangible but still ethereal wall of ambiance, playing for mood rather than to explode with his wild chops all over the Glossy 88.

If it weren't for the clever use of keyboards as a backing soundscape (I say clever because it's not common in metal, not because Vivien thought it up himself), this album would be average or slightly below. It's very enjoyable, but the song structures are pretty standard and a lot of the riffs are nothing terribly new. But tunes like Timestop and Night in Poenari turn into beasts of sound and feeling through this man's genius sense for sonics. Truth be told, the lyrics are wonderfully corny. What do we have here? Let's see: time traveling, vampires, werewolves, pot-smoking aliens, and a few other standard metal lyrical ideas. But, in the end, they are not the point.

Overall, a fairly silly and mildly unimportant release, but a very well crafted one at that, with some fun vocals and absolutely great keyboards. Oh, and yes, Lalu does bust out some wicked fake plastic ivory tickling here and there. Give it a listen. Not mindblowing, but pretty darn good.