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avestin View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Negative Zone - s/t
    Posted: January 23 2008 at 23:04
NEGATIVE ZONE
Negative Zone

 
Even though the heavy French accent can be a bit annoying in the English sung vocals (they should have sung in French), it is a very enjoyable album.
 
 
 
 
Fishy
PROG REVIEWER
4%20stars At the end of the sixties, prior to the heyday of progressive rock there were a lot of psychedelic bands producing calm but nevertheless chaotic music with some symphonic flavours. It’s obvious Pink Floyd was the best known band of the bunch. Negative zone created a record full of music for those who liked the sound of an album like “A saucerful of secrets”. The Gilmour like vocals aren’t interrupting much of the lush atmospheres but when they do, they sound courtesy of the mentioned era including the splendid vocal harmonies. The subtle guitar solo’s are awesome, sounding sometimes like whales. At times, there’s a notable influence of surf music in the guitar chords and again, the acoustic sections & delicate keys (mostly organ) are very Floydian. Most of the time this music is sounding slow and intimate but there’s some irruptions of a wall of sound every now and then. This is a record to listen to from start to finish. Without checking on the display of your cd player you never notice as one tracks flow into another one. Therefore it’s hard to recommend some highlights as you really should listen to all of the album, only the first couple of songs are a letdown. Maybe the title track and the first part of “Don’t sleep” are the most special ones and sum up all the qualities of this excellent music. Although these track include a succession of different atmospheres, it isn’t hard to get into the music due to the natural flow and the dreamy atmosphere. Therefore this album is extremely suitable to listen to on a holiday when you feel all of the stress of the daily life slipping away. I wonder why this band is called Negative zone as this music takes you in a good mood. The sound of this progressive record is most refreshing even if you realise this kind of music is from another era, it doesn’t sound dated, only timeless. Those who treasure early Floyd (from “A saucerful” till “Meddle”) should definitely have a listen to this wonderful album. A strange but short record that appeals from the very first listen.

Posted Sunday, February 19, 2006 | Review Permalink
hdfisch
(Dieter Fischer)
PROG REVIEWER
3%20stars Not an essential work in Prog but a very good and nice album! 3 1/2 stars really!

Though being really not original nor innovative at all NEGATIVE ZONE's debut is hard to be pulled down. It's certainly a very good album, maybe even to be called excellent and a very pleasant listen but nevertheless far from being a masterpiece, at least within progressive rock and that is what we're dealing with on this site. Actually in a way it sounds almost like a musical trip through the history of Pink Floyd starting from the early psychedelic days ("Cats") to spacey gilmourish guitar lines ("Fly Away"), even Cédric Cartaut's vocals sound very similar. Just the fact that these are all really their own compositions saves them from being not more than an (admitedly) excellent cover band. Nevertheless they're carrying their influences "on the sleeve" for sure and most probably they will be always be remembered as a PF clone band later on for this. Let's hope for these guys that I'm wrong and they're going to have a brilliant future with many more good and more original releases. At least from the point of musicianship they're excellent and if they manage to find their very own self-contained style they could really become a great and essential band in progressive rock one day.

Though most probably it will not be an all-time-fav of mine (this has to be proved by the test of time) I like this album especially its second half having the much stronger tracks. But since I usually do not EVERYTHING I like necessarily with 4 or 5 stars and rather depend my decision upon the overall historical importance of an album I'm giving it "only" a 3-star rating. Moreover I've got the impression it's been slightly overrated by Floyd fans in particular.

Posted Friday, June 02, 2006 | Review Permalink

 
sinkadotentree
(john davie)
PROG REVIEWER
4%20stars There have been a lot of bands over the years who have been described as sounding like PINK FLOYD,but i have never heard a band sound as much like PINK FLOYD as NEGATIVE ZONE.It's not even close.And as it is apparent that PINK FLOYD won't be recording any new material any time soon(if ever),this record is just what many FLOYD fans want.I think this is partly why this recording is so highly rated.I also think this is a great record.This isn't eighties sounding FLOYD,this is sixties,early seventies FLOYD.There is the psychedelic silliness found on the first two tracks,which for me are the weakest.There are parts of this style found on "Fairy Tales" as well,but it's the rest of the album for me that shines on so bright."The Stack" is a short instrumental that is a little creepy to begin with."Don't Sleep Part 1" is an awesome track!Spacey synths,acoustic guitar and Gilmour like vocals.At the seven minute mark it is even MORTE MACABRE like."Farewell" has a line in it that goes "...see you soon on the dark side of the moon". I've heard that somewhere before i think? Other highlights for me are the instrumental "Who We Are" a real journey."Fly Away","Don't Sleep Part 2" has a nice organ intro and the vocals may be at their best here."Hold Out Your Hand" is my favourite song on this record,gentle,fragile,beautiful with Gilmour like guitars."Island" is similar as well,soft vocals and flute added too.The song "Negative Zone" is rather atmospheric,and it intensifies at the six minute mark,with some energetic drumming and great guitar.If your a fan of early PINK FLOYD this album was made for you!

Posted Thursday, September 14, 2006 | Review Permalink
João Francisco
(João André Francisco)
4%20stars In these days I'd never expecpected a space rock album so close to a bygone reality. Not only the lyrics, not only the exelent music they made but also the great studio work that helped us to enter the "trip" they offer.

The intro of the album take us into a fantasy world that reminds Pink Floyd's early days. Exellent tracks like "Don't sleep" (part 1/2) have great power and are very beautiful, the "Farewell" is a kind of lullaby song that make anyone dream and "Negative Zone" blows everything with a great organ's intro and guitar solo in the midlle (in Atom Heart Mother style) . The Negative Zone band entered in my private top ten and they let me in a urge to wait for a next album! I give him four stars because this is a excellent addition to any prog music collection. Very good for Floyd's listeners.

Posted Saturday, November 25, 2006 | Review Permalink
 
 
 

1. Ouverture
2. Cats
3. The Stack
4. Don't Sleep part 1
5. Who We Are
6. Farewell
7. Fly Away
8. Don't Sleep part 2
9. Hold Out Your Hand
10. Island
11. Fairy Tales
12. Negative Zone

Line-up/Musicians

- Cédric Cartaut / guitar, vocals
- Manuel Santiago / guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Bruno Ramousse / bass, vocals, flute
- Fabrice Dimondo / drums

Releases information

CD Musea Records (2005)

 
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2008 at 19:21

Bump....

 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 24 2008 at 23:40
Several more reviews from here in PA:
5%20stars Negative Zone plunges us in a a perticular musical univers, a melodic atmospheric world but also experimental in certain aspects, with a subtle mucicality without being unaccessible. An excellent album, perfectly ballanced, not "over produced", well dosed, that will "wake up" some nostalgic sleeping sensations while making you discover new horizons.

Posted Saturday, July 09, 2005 | Review Permalink
lesgrandscypr
5%20stars I have just discovered the album today, and it is frankly not badly: a very interesting synthesis of first Floyd (of "Piper..." in "Meddle"), with a suspicion of King Crimson. The climate is spooky, in any case very envoûtant. I like!

Posted Sunday, July 31, 2005 | Review Permalink
Francescolome
5%20stars Wow ! This album IS a masterpiece ! This is one of the best albums of this year, maybe of this decade. I am bored with these bands of neo-prog who always make the same music ! Negative Zone is a new band (or maybe not ?) their music is fresh and new, it's like a breath in the air, very strange and sometimes very dark but also airy and psychadelic. People should listen to this record and please somebody tell them to play in concert, I WANT TO SEE THEM ON STAGE !!! Francesco

Posted Wednesday, October 05, 2005 | Review Permalink
lemazetdesain
5%20stars Unreal, captivating, magic. It is the kind of comment which somebody makes you who listened to the first disc of this group of progressive rock'n'roll. The in love ones with the music of the Seventies will be filled but not only! Everyone can discover the world of Negative Zone. Moreover, the twelve titles of Cd will give surely desire to some for bringing out their LP of Atom heart mother (Pink floyd) and to others to discover the progressive rock'n'roll of yesterday and today! Because Negative Zone is inspired but does not copy! It is a true sincere work. The great quality of the voices and the compositions give to this album a particular environment. I like !

Posted Sunday, November 13, 2005 | Review Permalink
samhob
(SH)
5%20stars I have always been an 70' psychedelic rock die-hard fan and I never really got used of recent bands..

But this is just an amazing new masterpiece, simply the best recording of the decade.. We can hear Pink Floyd, fusion or more symphonic influences with long clean guitar rythmics and solos and organ driven music with some humoristic parts that fits very well with the whole record... The singing and the voices sometimes remind's me Pink Floyd "Obscured By Cloud" records as they are very soft and groovy.

There is no particular song as this album is to be heard as single song, in fact it's as long as one LP ( ~45 Min.), 45 Mins of spacey atmosphere rock that will amaze every old 70' space rock fan..

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music.

Posted Thursday, December 01, 2005 | Review Permalink
neiloney@msn.
5%20stars The quartet are inspired by early 70s. There are nice acoustic parts but a psychedelic haze overlays the whole affair. There seems to be more of an emphasis on mood and atmosphere as it has a dreamy feel. A change of pace from the norm these days and quite nice actually. For Fans of early 70’s psychedelic and space sounds I do think this album is nothing less than obligatory. Its quality and insightfulness is well above the average psychedelic music of nowadays, and even when thinking about the era to which they connect their musicality, it can and should be compared with the best works…



Posted Thursday, December 15, 2005 | Review Permalink
moi@noisserge
5%20stars Yes! I hold it! One of the greatest album of 2005! Definitly, NEGATIVE ZONE give us something we didn't listen too from long long time! If I can compare this album with something else, it's gonna be the young years of PINK FLOYD while Sid Barrett was in the band. But the very first album of NEGATINZE ZONE have something in more. Something who can touch my stomach and make me feel strange. I love this emotion! Truly, a masterpiece of progressive music!

Posted Monday, January 30, 2006 | Review Permalink
Awol
(Paul Katelin)
3%20stars The first time i've listened to NEGATIVE ZONE, i thought: well, that is pretty like PINK FLOYD!

In fact, the whole sound if floydian. I guess that the main influence comes from Dark Side Of The Moon.. From those olden times, when David Gilmour was young, and when Syd Barret was alive, and well and living in.

Cats sounds like Money. These harmonies.. It feels like they came from the past, took new clothes and are now walking beside us. And we shake our heads. Damn, we think. It is more likely Floyd!

Then NEGATIVE ZONE begins to feed us with space theme. More frustrating, than relaxing, in fact. It matters, if the whole energy of song is not.. positive? Yes. It is not positive. It is like a cold winter evening, like a gray sky.

And than comes the masterpiece, which is separated with.. something strange. Something like innuendo. And this masterpiece is Dont sleap, pt. 1. Well, we could hear the floydian influence on vocal parties, as well as on guitar minor harmonies.. It is a bit smell from Another Brick In The Wall.

Well, NEGATIVE ZONE is a very talented band. And they are good students.. And their teacher, PINK FLOYD, is great.

Good choise for all Floyd fans.

Posted Monday, December 24, 2007 | Review Permalink


Edited by DamoXt7942 - September 10 2014 at 10:25
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2008 at 08:58
Funny, more reviews than responses and views of this thread... LOL
 
If you're into Floydian/space and somewhat carnivalesque rock, you should enjoy this (though the vocals might be a little annoying with their heavy accent).
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2008 at 11:35
Any myspace page to listen to some samples from them?


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2008 at 11:47
Sadly, no.
I didn't find any samples either.
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 27 2008 at 00:00

I remember when this album had a high rating i decided to look for it, it is nice but not what i expected, haven`t listened to it for a long time.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 16 2008 at 07:25
I first heard this album 6 months ago and since then it has always been a part of my regular rotation. I seriously would not have a problem with jumping it into say, my top 10 albums of the last 15 years or so. I noticed the group's official site has been down for quite a long time, i can't find any new or anything - thus i'm really hoping they are still together and ultimately release more work.

The most obvious description is yeah, a heavy AHM/Meddle circa floyd feel, the vocalist at times actually reminds me of Richard Wright from his Wet Dream album.

Again, the album is heavily recommended.

I have been a long time Prog Archives trawler and regularly use it for reading material, finally joined up today to reply to this post. Not sure if anyone has visited my blog, www.sometimeworld.blogspot.com

Cheers, Marcus | SometimeWorld.
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