SYRINX

Another one of the Maurin brothers' musical projects (to go with THORK and NIL), this album presents some very nice instrumental jazz-rock fusion from France, replete with church organ, woodwinds and power chords.

1. "Liber Nonacris" (19:38) very proggy, even, at times, prog folkie, despite its jazz and avant baseline. (36/40)

2. "Acheiropoiètes" (8:40) more brooding over the first three minutes but then it becomes quite cinematic when the full band kicks into a cohesive in the fourth minute. In the fifth minute another turn is taken--as if running away and then slipping into a doorwell to hide from some pursuer. Very cool and effect journey-making. (18/20)

3." Le Grand Dieu Pan" (14:45) despite a slow, spacious start, this one turns into a kind of NIL/GENESIS blend. Quite satisfying. (27/30)

4. "Le Vingt-et-unième Cercle" (5:45) quite a different opening as it sounds like a NeoProg ballad for the first minute--until the change into a minor key sets up a more complex story to be told. The acoustic guitars add so much with that symphonic folk element: very welcomed! With 90 seconds left we are treated to a chorus of angelic female vocalists singing some "Ahhs". More of this would have been nice! The song ends in the sounds of an apocalyptic explosion. (9/10)

Total time 48:48

the softer side of the French Jazz-Rock Fusion scene containing some definite avant garde/RIO, Prog Folk, Symphonic elements and themes, the music is definitely more pleasant and engaging than some French prog bands--more like MINIMUM VITAL, HYPNO5E, or SETNA. I love the fact that David Maurin remains committed to the acoustic guitar throughout.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of instrumental progressive rock of the NIL-like vein. Too bad it doesn't have NIL's extraordinary vocals!

What do you get when a fabulous acoustic guitarist meets up with a spectacular drummer? Well, after nailing a mellotron-mad keyboardist (is there a more glorious sound than acoustic guitar and the mighty 'tron?) and enlist a bass player with rolling fingers and you wind up with a French quartet named Syrinx. On their sophomore 2008 effort Qualia, the band expands their thematic instrumental only approach, calling it "Metamorphic Music", a textured canvas on which the musicians simply layer on details that delve deeply into incredible mutations, a clearly jazz-rock fusion that swerves into dense symphonics on a dime, the splendid David Maurin acoustic guitar in the spotlight. His likely brother Samuel Maurin supplies strenuous bass excursions, closer to Weidorje's Paganotti in that it's up- front and very center, like a musical spinal cord. Ivoryman Benjamin Croizy colors intensely with mostly the afore-mentioned mellotron but also tosses in some sparkling e-piano, rolling organ and somewhat metallic synthesizer ornamentations. The music is not far from fellow French acts Priam, Taal, Xang, Nebelnest and Nil (all three players save for the drummer were members of this legendary Annecy band) as well as obvious King Crimson tendencies (the mathematically precise bicycle acoustic guitar a la Fripp) , while drummer Phillipe Maullet could easily nail a Bill Bruford audition! Yeah, that good!

If you have any lingering doubts about my sanity, you need to protect yours upon feasting your ears on the opening masterpiece "Liber Nonacris", a nearly 20 minute python track that will slowly engulf you whole and digest you later! Tempestuous, at times veering toward insanity but somehow exceedingly controlled, or better yet, controlling, the delivery is breath- taking and audacious. This has to be one of the best epic instrumentals ever in progland. Fans of every stripe would find glee in the recipe, where blistering technique meets vaporous Gothicism. There are undeniable hints of eerie schizophrenia, emotional discomfort, obtuse irrationality and a yearning for some sort of salvation. Creepy, in a good way.

The style can also morph into quasi-soundtrack-ish mode, as if the band was commissioned for some spectral horror movie, "Acheiropoietes" is a moody, somber and unforgiving canvas of sound. Led by a soprano saxophone that has no handcuffs, the piece at first is perhaps the jazziest here, very stop/start and stark. Cemetery anthem, binary for quite a while and then, BOOM the mellotron takes this into much more pleasant surroundings, lush and symphonic. A few simple drumstick moves and the mood becomes chaotic again. Like a crazed rat caught in a labyrinth, there I no possible escape, move forward at your peril or retreat into doom. All along the victorious bass keeps the acceleration gasping for air.

On the massive 14 minute+ "Le Grand Dieu Pan", after a simmering piano intro where complacency and occasional cello eruption rule the day, the churning organ takes over leadership duties and, for all intended purposes, does not let go until the end, ably assisted by the wild guitar and manic drumming. Croizy then audaciously administers some synthesized fantasy, the bass burping along like some doped-up nurse, raising the angst to improbable levels of tension. Somber piano and grave flute combine to further the despondence. Pan is the Greek god of the shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds, hunting and pastoral music, and companion of the nymphs, so its presence here is self- evident within the context of the song. Eventually, the arrangement is guided into a more symphonic complexion, the guitar and the bass getting very technical, the drums highly syncopated and poly-rhythmic. The piano returns majestically, with profound seriousness until they all explode on their instruments, Samuel in particular getting nasty on his 4 stringed monster. Just tremendous talent on display here, this is music you can enjoy as a whole or in part, following each instrument individually. Darn, I love that many options.

The brief 5 minute finale is a wordplay on the "21st circle" instead of century (hmm, never thought of that) but in fact, just a mellotron-infested ditty with great intensity and a strange growling slash (that devilish bass and effects) , David delivering a supersonic acoustic foray that would make Andres Segovia proud and Maullet pounding his heart out. The King Crimson influences are loving and overt but that jazzy craziness is just to expunge over.

Tremendous listening experience. Gorgeous artwork. A classic.

5 subjective experiences

Syrinx are a modern prog quartet coming from Annecy,France.The four musicians of the band are all experienced regarding the prog field.Brothers guitarist David Maurin and bassist Samuel Maurin has played both for Thork and Nil,drummer Philippe Maullet has also been a member of Thork and Benjamin Croizy played keyboards for Nil.However this project aims to explore brand new musical horizons than those of Thork and moreover Nil.

Definitely a KING CRIMSON child,Syrinx play dark,mysterious and complicated jazzy Progressive Rock,all instrumental.All five long tracks are highlighted by an obscure atmosphere with complex breaks,acoustic passages and heavy bass lines.The drumming is often very complex certainly following a jazzy mood and synths appear from nowhere to create some more mysterious soundscapes.When the whole band jams together,the interplays are adventurous,abstract and even hard to follow,but the overall atmosphere is quite unique.Good thing is the band uses KING CRIMSON only as an influence and it's very far from the plagiarism phenomenon.Another positive: Melody is not totally absent,a few atmospheric passages hold some interest regarding this part,even some lovely flutes pop up somewhere.

This ''Réification'' debut album is a massive musical attack against demanding ears and can be a really painful or a simply majestic experience,depending on what the listener searches for.For me it's a very strong first step that deserves 3.5 stars,while the band shows great potential for even producing a masterpiece in the near future.

A great work "Qualia" is ? I absolutely enjoy this sophomore release by Syrinx, and I wish I had known it at the time so I could vote for it the 2009 Top lists. All I can do in the present days, in retrospect, is praise it with all my heart. This French ensemble was quite a big surprise a few years back with their debut effort "Reification", exploring a sort of progressive experimental rock that combined mystic atmospheres and dense, semi-creepy moods; in 2008, "Qualia" retook this interesting trend and instilled a renewed energy into it. As usual, the band's sonic framework is built upon the articulation pondered among the harmonies/leads performed on a much featured acoustic guitar and the driving force driven on by the rhythm section, while the keyboard inputs rigorously fill abundant spaces all over the place. 'Liber Nonacris' opens up the album with agile atmospheres, but eventually, at the 3 minute mark, the sonic development turns to slightly denser grounds. From the onward, the piece evolves in an amazing set of varied themes, abundant yet not overwhelmingly overdone. There are moments in which the keyboard orchestrations assume the leading role in the melodic developments; there is also a mysterious passage in which the bass guitar's interventions get a bigger exposure, in this way adding some stamina to the overall sound. The use of synthesized choral ornaments and emulated mellotron helps to reinforce the recurrent mesmeric ambience. 'Acheiropoietes' features soprano sax in the first passage, which assumes an air of distinction through the unhidden sense of mystery that prevails. The colorfulness portrayed in the subsequent development states a landscape of tension that ends up released during the track's closing section. 'Le Grand Dieu Pan' brings a grayish ambience, properly focused on autumnal textures. The solo piano passage bears a nostalgic beauty, conveniently balanced with the agile section that follows immediately, eventually leading to a majestic display of moderate bombast. Once again, the bass guitar manages to make itself noticed among the whole equilibrated architecture. 'Le Vingt-Et-Unieme Cercle' occupies the album's last 5 ¾ minutes. It is evidently more serene than any of the other preceding tracks, but the overall feel is totally consistent with the spirit of outworld mystery that has assumed control of the musical arrangements in the whole album. The climatic ending may bring some 70s Pulsar memories to some. Well, this was "Qualia", a superb album by one of the best French prog ensembles currently around.

Qualia is the second album from French band Syrinx. It's a truly beautiful and complex album, the kind that demands your attention and demands you to just sit back and listen to their compelling mix of Jazz and Prog.

All four compositions are instrumental and it doesn't get any better than the almost twenty minute opener Liber Nonacris. The band play brilliantly, Benjamin Croizy's keyboards used much of the time (though he has his moments in the limelight) to provide sweeping backdrops for Samuel Maurin's fluent, liquid bass playing and Philippe Maullet's dynamic drumming. The lead is taken in the main by David Maurin's busy acoustic guitar playing; yes no electric guitar here. He really is a fantastic player. The album alternates between sublime beauty and moments of musical tension and explosive power to make for an overall captivating sound. The production is excellent with lots of space in the mix, each player having ample opportunity to shine.

I haven't discussed individual tracks as this is an album to listen and to take in as whole and some of the best instrumental music I have heard in years. The only question is whether it's better than their 2003 debut, Reification. Buy them both and make up your own mind. Brilliant stuff, nothing less than 5 stars will do!

SYRINX continue to play dark atmospheric music that is very detailed and intricate. Once again the acoustic guitar leads the way supported by some great drum and bass work. I swear there's mellotron on here as well as a variety of keyboards.This is all-instrumental by the way. Same lineup as what was on the debut which includes the Maurin brothers from NIL and early THORK.

"Liber Nonacris" is the almost 20 minute opening track. I hesitate to describe each song as I usually do because there is so much going on and the songs are never standing still but constantly evolving. Again dark and atmospheric describes their sound well with the acoustic guitar being ever-present. It sounds like mellotron 2 minutes in with synths to follow. I like when it kicks in fairly heavily after 11 minutes as bass throbs and mellotron storms in while drums pound. Great section.The calm sections are just as good though. Floods of mellotron after 16 minutes. Nice. A full sound with drums 18 minutes in. Some electric guitar too which wasn't on the debut.

"Acheiropoites" is haunting to start as flute comes in. A fuller sound after 3 1/2 minutes with drums and bass. It builds to an intense sound 6 minutes in. Fantastic ! A calm returns 8 minutes in. "Le Grand Dieu Pan" is heavy to open with organ. A haunting calm follows. Piano then takes over followed by cello at 2 minutes. It becomes brighter 3 minutes in and the tempo picks up. It settels with flute before 5 minutes. Guitar takes over before 6 1/2 minutes. I like when the organ returns, synths follow. Great sound (dark & heavy) when it kicks back in 11 1/2 minutes in. "Le Vingt-Et- Unieme Cercle" sounds so good. The kind of song to drift away in. Mellotron 3 minutes in followed by a heavier sound. Gorgeous track. It builds to an explosive sound after 5 minutes.

Tough to pick a favourite between the first two albums but for me "Reification" is still the better one. I would highly recommend you get them both though.This is just amazing music to listen to in the dark with headphones on.

Syrinx is a myth and a mystery in many ways: Firstly, the players are anonymous even if we do have a clue of who they might be. Secondly, the concept of Syrinx is built on Greek mythology, revealing its secrets in three parts. In the second part, Qualia, the four Transcribers (this is how the musicians call themselves) lead us back to the wonderful musical landscapes familiar from Réification and here we get to the third and most important point - the music of Syrinx - that's one of the most mysterious and thrilling journeys one can get musically. Build up by a really tight teamwork with commanding bass, dreamy keyboards, soft and accurate drums and brisk yet elaborate acoustic guitar, long, complex and unpredictable compositions and peculiar rhythms played in most stimulative manner, kicking the back of your brain like an angry mule!

The joint work of this group is just impressive. It's exquisite how the the music is composed of small pices that are the sounds of the instuments. It's like you're listening to a work of a brilliant mathematician: tiny elements built up to a fractal making a larger and a more complicated whole depending on how far you look at it. No matter wheter you look at the details or the whole work, it's just stunning. These Transcribers aren't only vituoso, but they can compose one hell of a songs! As you listen to a music, any music, you may notice some absolutely great parts within a song and you'll remember that this song has got this wonderful moment... In Syrinx, that's continuous - those stunning parts follow one after another. It can be played in a backgound as a relaxing atmosphere or you can always turn it louder and Dive Into It. This is the most fascinating thing in Syrinx's music, or maybe it IS the Syrinx music.

Just like Reification, Qualia holds on to its secrets tightly, and while it does not sound weird or too complex at the beginning, you still may have to give it quite a few spins... it does not open up quickly. For me, it's a desired feature anyhow, only telling me this is an album I will enjoy for long. The first track to open, is Liber Nonacris, the longest one on the album. It's just so stunning one have to do several reverse-again-things while listening to it! As it is somewhat common to these songs, it's build up slowly, gathering the intensity, raising the speed, growing almost manic at the end. The other tracks Acheiropoiètes, Le Grand Dieu Pan and Le Vingt-et-unième Cercle follow the fantastic formula and they are some great tracks as well.

I've found Syrinx perfectly suitable for jogging purposes for its manic, stubborn ongoing nature. Still, it's also perfect for dining, relaxing, working, sleeping, enjoying, driving, and God knows what purposes due to its multilateral nature. This is another absolutely fantastic release from the group Syrinx!

Syrinx is a side project of mainly guys from NIL: David Maurin on acoustic guitar, Benjamin Croizy on keyboards and Samuel Maurin on bass accomplished with Philippe Maullet on drums. The alliance took place already at 1999 when they decided to create music of new form. At first they remained anonymous: ''They work together to attain a common goal which bears the name of Syrinx: thus, the name and career of each musician are unimportant'' and they named the band as Syrinx: ''Syrinx normally designs a nymph from Greek mythology. This concept does not belong exclusively to this mythology. It not only existed before it, but it exists to this very day. Syrinx, then, is the origin of this music.'' According to the band, the form of their music is Metamorphic Music fulfilling three conditions:

1) It is constructed on rhythmical and melodic themes which develop, change, and metamorphose in a subtle way into other themes. Depending on the effects intended, this process is more or less perceived by the listener. If this metamorphic construction is elaborated correctly, it can lead to the two following consequences:

2) It induces a special interior state in the listener. In fact, all music influences our movements, our emotions and our will-power, whether we are conscious of this or not. Syrinx' music is precisely conceived in this sense to operate an internal transmutation, an interior metamorphosis of the listener.

3) In the place where it is played, it creates a sort of climate: it contains in itself all that is necessary to be able to catch on progressively in the physical area where it is propagated. After the music has stopped, it still impregnates the area. A sensitive person can feel this phenomenon, even if he or she were not present at the time of its diffusion.

As far their only album of this form, ''Reification'', got published four years after the formation. Like said in conditions, the music of Syrinx is an ever changing flow that's easy to float with, but that's in a complex and dangerous way: there's a whirlpool behind the calm waters once you get into - there's no coming back! Now, think of a football team, where 's no leading player but everyone plays as a part of team, to one destination: goal. Nobody keeps the ball for himself a long but the interplay is fast with all twists and turns. Syrinx is just like a perfect and very disciplined football team. The absent of electric guitar is the most notable and 'commanding' element here, it leaves the doors wide open for the rest of the instruments here: All are as much in leading and in accompanying role, which are constantly changing like a played ball.

The flow of music is kind of slow and minimal in a way (not rhytmically or thematically), but that's only an illusion actually again for the missing leading instrument. So, all the souds and notes are well considered thus getting an extra weight on them. Every sound, every note, every pick of bass and every beat of drum is MEANINGFUL. And for this reason the listening of 'Reification' is quite an exhausting experience: it forcefully takes your full attention and doesn't leave a listener any chance to take a breath. After listening to this record I feel like after an hour of jogging or something (I have actually once listened this four times consecutively... it makes you demanding for more of it! I think I'm in quite good physical shape now, thanks for Syrinx :)

Now, imagine four random and different frequency sinusoid or cosine like curvatures that goes on... they're the players lines here. So at least one of them is always at the peak granting a wow-effect and keeping the attention while the lines below are sneakily chancing and rising a moment after into another wow. At times there comes a moments when all the curvatures are simultaneously at the peak, and that's a WOW!

Of the players I have to say that they're all absolutely stunning with all the fretless bass playing, imaginary drum patterns, wonderful guitar picking, extraordinary keyboard playing and superb compositions. Syrinx cannot be compared to any other band, any other music ever before, it's above them all. Only NIL's Quarante Jours Sur Le Sinai grants some similar moments as far as I know.

Of the songs Syrinx lighten us:

1. Reification: reify signifies to give reality to a concept. It renders palpable that which is evanescent; then essence becomes substance. This first piece gives its title to the album and characterizes the musical direction of Syrinx as well as posing the base of the metamorphic structure of the music.

2. Emanescence: an emanescence is a living contact, impalpable and ephemeral. It is a sort of soft touch, a fugacious imprint of a moment of grace. Everyone has an experience of this kind during their lives, and interpret it in an artistic, psychological, rational or mystical way...

3. The twentieth circle: this refers to the hierarchical structure of the universe that numerous traditions materialize as circles or concentric spheres. Syrinx was part of the twentieth circle (or level, plane, dimension).

4. Orbis Ubique: this is a Latin expression designing that which is spherical (orb) and that which can be found everywhere (ubiquity). That corresponds equally to the musical structure of the piece and to the nature of Syrinx.

5. The Hypostasis of the Archons: Archons is the term utilized by the Gnostics to design what the theologians called Powers, that is to say the divine emanations located two levels under the Archangels. The Hypostasis constitutes a change of state which occurred among the Archons at the beginning of our era, and which benefited indirectly to Syrinx. The Hypostasis of the Archons is also the title of one of the 52 texts found in Egypt. This archaeological discovery is considered by some as being the most important one since that of the Red Sea Manuscripts.

That just have to do with the songs because I couldn't describe these pieces musically: They're the ever changing flow, hard to separate into any parts and they change with your own feelings and mental conditions showing themself a different side from listening to listening. At first, Syrinx may sound a bit dull, again for the missing solos and vocals for example, but as you keep listening to this masterwork, you begin to realise the small details and to comprehend the unnatural flow and changes of the music. Soon you'll find this album as a prog-grug that you gonna have to get your regular dose.

Hope somebody cared to read all this nonsense of mine, but anyhow: this album is extremely recommended and it's definitely the best insrumental album I've ever heard! Now, there's a brand new album to be expected from them at any day now and I'm very exited!

Reference: Syrinx homepage

A staggering work. The way in which all the instruments are mixed is simply extraordinary. In every moment I have the feeling that something is going to happened because these musicians know how to keep your attention.

The sound is like trying to accomplish something and they donâ??t know exactly how to go on but just keeping to square up to the situation.

I was completely impressed by the first song and I was wondering what will come next. Surprises almost everywhere on the next track also. Then I had no doubt and I said: these guys know what they are doing. Of course my intuition was right and I enjoyed every song.

It is hard to put somewhere in a certain genre this music because the sound is like taking small pieces from everything I listened to before in a way but on the other way like nothing I listened before. It is impossible to choose a highlight because every song is perfect. Even if is hard to predict the directions the prog music will have I would like to think that in the years to come the music will evolve in this direction.

On the other way this release may be hard to get in for somebody who's trying discover the progressive genre. The compositions have a certain kind of abstract approach which I find it very enjoyable.

Almost a perfect album.4.75 stars

Syrinx is a French instrumental project formed by musicians from diverse tendencies united by the common need to create something new in an artsy manner -something they label as metamorphic music. The album "Reification" bears a patent mystic vibe to it, and that means that they successfully blend the sonic colors of their compositions with the concept behind them. Their sound is quite chiarobscure, built on main melodies, orchestrations and tonalities that seem to be born out of the misty ambiences from dew- wet forests in an autumn evening. The lyrical sections feel somewhat sinsiter, while, in contrast, the scary passages bear a melancholy texture that keeps them from becoming overtly creepy. It is incredible how the acoustic guitar, being the least loud item in the instrumentation, leads so effectively the nervous development of the main ideas and the subtly complex links between them. The organ solos, the synthesizer washes, the powerful rhythm duo, all of them have an undeniably punch to them, yet the acoustic guitars' arpeggios, leads and strums seem stubbornly stuck on the center stage. The most wonderful thing that Syrinx accomplishes is a perfectly polished sense of ensemble, but it's not their only wonderful achievement: great melodies, captivating atmospheres, efficient balance between all moods that successively build up the continumm of each track. Each compositional piece has a Spartan structure to it, but the instrumentation goes beyond playing them and becomes a real arranging tool, which sets a dialectics of extra composition. The namesake opening piece fills the album's first 17 minutes, clearly defining the band's ideology. The sonic panorama is enriched by controlled yet ambitious expansions of the basic motifs, never getting into the excessively self-indulging thing. The sense of control doesn't work opposite the musicians' creative freedom, but as a complement to it. 'Emanescence' and 'Le Vingtieme Cercle' have each a shorter room for expansion, but this small detail doesn't stop them from including a notable set of rich variations and mood shifts. The atmospheres are, in comparison to the opening track, a bit more colorful without letting go of that special mysterious vibe that is intended to fill the whole album, sound by sound, second after second. That is particularly true for the eerie interlude of 'Le Vingtieme Cercle', to put a random example. 'Orbis Ubique', with its 14 ¾ minute span, offers a more ambitious strcture, not unlike 'Reification', albeit digging deeper into the most somber side of the band's musical vision. Perhaps this is the main reason why it stands out as one of the definitive highlights of the album. A special mention has to go for the very, very creepy synth solo that emerges like something out of the underworld. Finally, 'L'Hypostase des Archontes' reincides on the album's overall essence, although with a more explicit dynamics, which is no doubt due to the special dose of energy provided by the rhythmic section. The drum input during the concluding climax has to be the most impressive performance delivered by Philippe Maullet, and indeed, he helped his partners to shine at their respective instruments especially for this section. This track is another amazing highlight, but this section has merits of its own. An incredible ending for an incredible album - "Reification" is a progressive classic for the millenium and Syrinx is a name to be included in any good prog collection. 4 to 4.5 stars for this album!