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French project NYL was the creative vehicle for guitarist Michel Peteau and drummer Stéphane Rossini, whose sole album saw the light on a private label in 1976. Small indie label Legend Music reissued this production on CD in 1993, and after many years out of print fledgling label Psych Up Melodies decided that it was time to make this production available again in the fall of 2011.
The original LP contained 9 tracks, of which 8 have been reissued and two of those slightly reworked already on the first reissue of this disc. The missing track, Blue Eyes (Revox Tapes) may possibly be the sound collage appearing at the very end of this reissue version however, as the album has been expanded by a total of 7 tracks. Most of them alternative versions of album tracks admittedly, and as such there isn't too much new music as such to enjoy. But for the avid fans such material is always a treat to encounter anyhow. Still, the original LP's 30 odd minutes playtime has been doubled with all the bonus material, and as these alternative versions and occasional excerpts generally hold good quality they are well worth experiencing also by those who have the original vinyl edition as a treasured keepsake.
The original album appears to be a time-typical partially improvisational effort, perhaps with a foundation in endeavours of this kind more common a few years earlier. Basic themes and motifs serves as a platform for the remaining instruments to play upon, resulting in repetitive circulating psychedelic motifs with occasional freaked out inserts as the most common features. Various guest musicians provide their own special sounds, the bass line of Jannick Top arguably the most distinct of these. Those who enjoy his output will find the sprawling title track to be a delightful experience due to that alone.
Personally I found Nyarlathotep to be the most interesting excursion, a tight and energetic effort with harnessed explosive instrumental features as something of a trademark feature, the dual contrast of light-toned clean and dark-toned distorted guitar motifs on this one a most intriguing aural experience.
If you tend to enjoy 70's psychedelic rock with a distinct improvisational element played on top of tight and planned foundation, and enjoy an album that takes some pride in visiting a number of different moods and arrangements, Nyl's sole production is one you should seek out. Magma completionists might also want to get this one due to Top's guest performance, and he's on good form on the three tracks where he contributes. Not a classic production, but those with a soft spot for this kind of material will most likely be charmed by this CD.
My rating: 70/100
Track list:
1. Nyl 8:04
2. Abery 3:22
3. Nyarlathotep 2:35
4. Shatt 1:24
5. Dromadaire bleu 3:02
6. Ailes d'or 3:08
7. Dervishes 2:39
8. Ibha 3:53
9. Jaguar I 2:19
10. Jaguar II 1:01
11. Nyl II 9:23
12. Surfing Ibha 2:15
13. Nyarlathotep II 2:22
14. Nyl III 9:04
15. Alex 10:50
Swedish act THALAMUS was formed in 2006 by a crew of musicians with past experiences from other bands, experienced hands at their particular craft. One year later they released their debut album "Beneath a Dying Sun", to positive critical acclaim. Since then they have signed to Swedish label Transubstans Records, and in 2011 the band's second production "Subterfuge" was issued on that label.
Some like the mother and some like the daughter a saying goes, and personally I'd like to add that a select few might opt for the grandmother to this phrase. And in this case I find myself as belonging to the latter group of minorities, so to speak, as Thalamus second offering didn't sit too well with my personal tastes. Despute being a production that has a number of fine features, and one made with a high quality in most departments to boot.
Excellent mix and production is a trademark feature of this disc, all instruments balanced to perfection, smooth arrangements and a pleasant mood throughout. The technical aspects is of a quality many artists with a higher budget in this department can envy Thalamus. Instrumentalists and vocalists alike showcase a high degree of ability too, no slouches of any kind will be encountered on this production, with special accolades to lead vocalist Kjell Bergendahl, whose melodic yet powerful vocals would suit any number of bands and whose timbre and delivery in itself might be utilized in ventures of a more commercial orientation with good success if he should ever feel the desire for it. Top notch quality through and through.
As usual for a band issued by Transubstans Records these guys are exploring a retro-oriented brand of rock, in this case hard rock bordering on heavy metal. Black Sabbath is given a few distinct nods throughout, first and foremost on When Goblins Cheer and Still Dancing on My Graves. Some nice instances of dual guitar soloing adds a certain Wishbone Ash tinge to the proceedings, and when taking on a more distinct blues orientation it's hard not to think along the lines of classic Robin Trower. While the ever present Hammond comes with automatic associations to acts like Deep Purple. But rather than staying completely put within a 70's oriented frame of reference, Thalamus incorporates a few touches of 80's metal to the proceedings too, mostly by utilizing riff cascades performed in a classic 80's style but toned down, which alongside the hovering organ motifs succeeds quite nicely in giving these passages a 70's tinge too.
It's in the songwriting department I was less than thrilled in this case. Underlying motifs and dominating themes aren't that interesting in themselves, and without too many instances of nuances nor of variable elements the circulating, repetitive manner of these compositions result in songs the generally comes across as monotone and repetitive to my ears. Pleasant material by and large, but with a tendency for passages and themes to overstay their welcome. The sole exception, to my ears, is the aforementioned Still Dancing on My Graves, the dirty stoner rock theme that opens and close this compositions a fitting companion for the vintage sounding elongated Sabbath style passage contained within.
And while I didn't find "Subterfuge" to be that interesting myself, this is a band that has a lot going for it. My personal taste for sophisticated music is the limiting facot for me I assume, and as such I suspect that others that tend to be most interested in compositions of a slightly more intricate nature might not be the perfect audience for this CD. On the other hand, those with a strong affection for 70's hard rock in general and bands using the Hammond in particular will probably find this album to be a charming one, and comes with my recommendations to that particular audience, with minor reservations as described in some detail.My rating: 55/100Track list:
1. Blues Mary Intro 2:49
2. Bring Down Mary 2:55
3. When Goblins Cheer 5:56
4. Blind 4:09
5. Still Dancing on My Grave 3:48
6. I Hope You Understand 3:42
7. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 4:47
8. Shot to Hell 5:16
9. She Sells Desolation 4:01
10. Love Is Shining on the Dead Man 5:45
11. Through the Fields 6:32
Five-piece GORDON FIGHTS is yet another young and promising act out of Sweden, formed in 2008 and with an initial EP to their name prior to this full length debut that was released through Transubstans Records in the fall of 2011. And as a label with an orientation towards acts exploring a vintage inspired sound, it should come as no surprise to learn that indeed, this is another trip down memory lane. The target set to sometime in the 1970's.
Blues based hard rock is the name of the game for this act, poaching a few details here and a few details there to create music with a distinct sound that fits the early 1970's concept to perfection. And while not overly familiar with any band in particular, the music tends to be of a character slightly anonymous rather than with a strong identity. Songs that could have been presented as belonging to almost any number of blues based, 70's hard rock acts without anyone finding a reason to protest. Touches that might originate from the likes of The Who, Steppenwolf and The Allman Brothers Band ones I believe I found with relative ease.
As is customary for a person with a taste for sophisticated rock, I do find this act most interesting whenever they take on a sound, approach or arrangement more refined however, or when they truly excel at the difficult art of creating intriguing material with the simplest of ideas. And this is a band that appears to enjoy doing that as well, spreading out to cover a larger stylistic span than many other retro-oriented acts.
Psychedelic tinged opener As I Please opens this production in an enticing manner, with references to Led Zeppelin and Allman Brothers Band as the main ingredients in an effort flirting ever so slightly with progressive rock. Later on Warrior is a tune that should please fans of the latter, a lighter toned calmer excursion with a distinct souther drawl. And final effort Parasite is an aptly named charming acquaintance too, with a dirty bass line used as the foundation for a slow, surging blues rock affair that transforms into a majestic textured creation with a foot or so placed well inside post rock territories with it's grandiose, textured wall of sound guitar display. Just as enticing is their nod to the good, old blues on Brothers & Sisters, and the basic guitar, percussion and vocal theme that opens and ends Little Darling is another item that should find favour among dedicated blues fans. But for pure brilliance, Time Machine is the winner as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps not as innovative as some other tracks, but the perfect blend of dark-toned, dampened blues guitars and fireworks rhythms as a solid foundation for Viktor Persson's powerful vocals is a true joy from the opening note until the very end, and the clever transformation from driving, dampened blues based hard rock to lazy fusion in the final 15 seconds of this composition one that will make most fans of good quality music nod in approval.
70's based blues based hard rock os the name of the game for this self-titled debut album by Swedish band Gordon Fights. And while many tracks doesn't really manage to aspire to anything out of the ordinary, the ones who does take this act to a different level are well worth experiencing. A taste for bands like The Who and Allman Brothers Band might come in handy to be able to enjoy this disc, and if that sounds like something you'd enjoy this is a band to investigate.
My rating: 74/100Track list:
1. As I Please 7:07
2. Birds & Flowers 3:08
3. I'm Gonna Wait 3:36
4. Dance Quite Well 3:46
5. Brothers & Sisters 4:53
6. Time Machine 3:35
7. No Rope Around Me 3:43
8. Little Darling 3:03
9. Warrior 6:36
10. Parasite 8:15
French band AEGIRSON was formed back in 1996, and ince then they have released two EPs and two full length albums. "Inside" was their first ever production, and was self-released back in 1997.
The main premise of this band, at least at this stage of their development, appears to be riff and synth constructions, the former of the slow, chugging variety and the latter ranging back and forth between atmospheric, hovering textures and free flowing movements with classical music inspirations. These guys are skilled in utilizing this combination to good effect, the contrasting dark and light sounds creating a strong nerve and presence that is effective and intriguing. But it would appear that they are still searching for manners in which to utilize those themes in an effective manner on this EP.
The songs are fairly repetitive as such, with few instrumental flourishes adding variety to the proceedings. The longer compositions does feature multiple themes and a certain progressive rock aspiration, but without quite managing to crack that particular code to my ears.
Then again, the low quality mix and production might have something to say for this, especially when the instrumental performance does leave a bit to be desired it doesn't help when the technical aspects are on the weak side. Add in a lead vocalist of dubious quality to this mix and you end up with a rather strange beast. A band whose aspirations exceeds their current potential, the latter of which is partially hidden by the technical studio work.
If you have an in interest in melodic heavy metal with refined ideas performed in a not so sophisticated manner, this initial production by Aegirson is one you might want to hunt down. It's lacking in quite a few areas, but their synth and guitar combos should be an intriguing experience for those with a special interest in just such constellations even of the rest of the material might be found lacking in a lot of areas.
My rating: 45/100
Track list:
1. Insurrection 4:17
2. The Fear Inside You 7:23
3. Final Request 7:55
4. Riding Freedom 5:30
Japanese label GOHAN RECORDS is a label I'm rather unfamiliar with, but from what I can tell it's not a high profile venture, if it exist at all these days. This sampler disc from 2002 is indicated as being their first, and most likely showcase the first signings of a then newly formed label.
And the contents indicate that this is, or was, a label with a good ear for high quality artists. Kunio Suma opens the ball with a driving, energetic number, bass driven with tight drums to match, with occasional Crimsonian guitar details and subtle dramatic synth effects, with a rather original, slightly weird lead vocal on top. Next up is massA, with tribal drums and synth voices crafting a hypnotic new age tinged mood, with an elegant melancholic emulated sax solo added in as the track settles. Magritte Voice follows, and after an initial tribal-tinged, new age inspired opening, their chosen track evolves into a richly arranged venture with melodic, dreamladen female vocals on top. Sophisticated dream pop a probable stylistic description, not too far away from mid 1990's Bel Canto - for those familiar with this Norwegian band. And finally there's Masumi Hisano, and his chosen creation takes a sharp left turn into avantgarde territories. Rich arrangements with a plethora of challenging features, with a hovering Mellotron wash and intense electronic bass and rhythms as constant effects, while instrument bursts in general and brass ons in particular come and go amidst darker synth surges and jazzy piano motifs.
But as intriguing as ale of these artists appears to be, this sampler disc has one fatal flaw: All of the tracks are excerpts, cut short at around the three minute mark. So while these compositions all appear rather tantalizing and inviting, we don't really know how much so they are. We just know that the first three minutes shine, and rather brightly so. And due to that I can't really recommend this sampler disc either. If you can get it for free it's well worth having by all means, but as a potential purchase it's without much worth. Except, possibly, for the avid, specialized collector.
Not rated.
Track list:
1. Kunio Suma: Watashi No Kokoro Wa Donarundesuka? (Where Will My Heart Go?) 2:12
2. massA: Sahara 3:03
3. Magritte Voice: Fatal Existence 2:55
4. Masumi Hisano: Coelacanth 3:13
Dual Experience is a joint effort from French bands FATAL and STRANGULATION, an EP's worth of material that in this case features three tracks from both bands. As with most such productions I suspect that there are two reasons for such a collaborative effort: To split the costs, and to get the material to be heard by a larger crowd. Both reasons important for many bands.
The opening three cuts are provided by Strangulation in this case, and to my ears they are not that successful. To my ears appearing as a second rate version of early Possessed, with dark growling vocals lurking beneath staccato riff barrages and aggressive drums aplenty. All songs have their fine moments, brief transitions with nifty guitar details made with a great degree of care, but the songs as such and the general level of performance does leave a bit to be desired. There's talent there, but at this stage a rough and raw one that needs a fair amount of polish, at least to my ears.
French band FATAL are slightly more impressive. Their staccato riff barrages and shouted intense vocals are closer to a band like Nuclear Assault in style, albeit without quite as many hardcore references as the rather more well know US act. These French guys do know how to put pace and intensity to good use however, they know how to use impact riffs to good effects and add subtle alterations in pace and tone to the guitar riffs for further variation. The drummer and bassist both appears to handle performance skills outside of the basic ones, without ever really shining, but by and large this adds up to three decent performances, and surprisingly enough the last and longest of these, Les Sept Epees, is the one that impress the most. Perhaps due to the band taking on multiple themes on this piece, and does so with a fair degree of success too.
In sum "Dual Experience" isn't that much of an impressive production, but it does document the early stages of two different bands, and to my ears documents quite nicely why one of them - at least to my knowledge - hasn't released any official albums while the other one does indeed have a few full length productions to their name by now. Borderline thrash/death metal is perhaps the best description to give the the style of music explored, and if you're interest in these styles is in depth you might want to add this disc to your collection. If you can get it at a reasonable cost.
My rating: 50/100Track list:
1. Strangulation: Mercenary
2. Strangulation: Purge
3. Strangulation: Evicerate
4. Fatal: Conscience
5. Fatal: Exutoir
6. Fatal: Les sept épées
French band THALIA was formed in 1985, and during the next 15 years they would release a handful or so of demo tapes in addition to two official productions. The EP "Reign of Philosophy" from 1998 was the first of these.
The name of the game for this French quartet appears to have been traditional heavy metal, with a certain emphasis on melody and frequently bordering more of a hard rock expression. In addition it seems that they aspired towards implementing features of a more sophisticated manner, at least of this EP is representative of their output.
The most striking feature is the lead vocals by Fabrice Emmanuel however. His voice is rich and soulful, and combined with a powerful delivery his performance becomes something of a trademark feature. In timbre and delivery he comes across as a powerhouse version of pop vocalist Seal, although with a distict French accent. Mixed on top of the instrumentation, and due to that it is the lead vocals that carry this album. For better or worse. For better on opening piece Love and Hate and the following Omniscient, the former a straight forward melodic heavy metal effort and the latter a quirky but not quite successful venture into hard rock territories, the vocals giving both of these compositions a slight lift, the opening track in particular.
But the following numbers Like a Question and title track The Reign of Philosophy might have fared better with more of an emphasis on the instrumental performance and compositional structure. Especially in the case of the latter we're dealing with a fairly refined creation, with multiple motifs coming and going, a distinct development of themes and in general a song whose structure and arrangements are much closer to the realms of progressive rock. Both of them interesting pieces, the latter actually pretty close earning a brilliant mark from me, mere details and nuances in personal taste just about the only reason for me not to hand out a perfect grade for this individual compositions.
By and large an interesting EP by a talented band with aspirations to venture beyond their apparent hard rock and melodic heavy metal foundation, and a band that might warrant inspection by those who enjoyed the debut albums by Queensryche and Dream Theater. At least as far as this particular production goes.
My rating: 60/100
Track list:
1. Love and Hate 5:33
2. Omniscient 3:18
3. Like a Question 5:15
4. The Reign of Philosophy 6:38
French project NYL was the creative vehicle for guitarist Michel Peteau and drummer Stéphane Rossini, whose sole album saw the light on a private label in 1976. Small indie label Legend Music reissued this production on CD in 1993, and after many years out of print fledgling label Psych Up Melodies decided that it was time to make this production available again in the fall of 2011.
