LA CLEF DES SONGES

Although Pentacle's only album was produced by Christian Descamps of Ange Fame, it favours to the smoother more melodic side of symphonic prog over the highly theatrical melodrama of Ange and their followers. Gerald Reuz does sound a bit like Descamps on downers, but this is not to suggest that everything here is morose, but rather that it tends to the understated and less complex.

The main features musically are the tuneful lead guitars of Reuz and the omnipresent string synths and organs of Claude Menetrier, which play well together and with Reuz's voice, but the bass and drums also keep pace and provide some unorthodox backing at times. The highlights are the title cut, the superb " L'âme Du Guerrier" and the epic "Le Raconteur", which provides the best instrumental workout of the recording, with guitars and various keys taking turns at variations on the general motif, providing a feast for the prog fan who thrives on atmosphere and harmonics.

If I may say, I also hear a folk, almost Breton element at the base of some of these tunes, but it does not jump out right away since the instrumentation is generally far removed from those roots. After a few listens, I am also drawn back to some of my Quebecois favourites of the 1970s, but I can't quite put my finger on exactly whom and why. Neither of these traits should be all that surprising, given the time period and the tendency to explore and blend different genres, especially in the progressive realm, and indeed they provide the key to my musical reveries, and explain why I am rounding up to 4 stars. Another recommended Musea release.