LES NOUVEAUX MONDES

After seeing great reviews of this band here and elsewhere, I got the feeling that they were a band I was really going to love. Since most reviews said that essentially, each album was better than the last, it seemed to me the best place to start was at the beginning. If I liked this album, I would surely love the following ones.

So, how is this album? Well, I immediately liked it on first listen. This can sometimes be a bad thing, as I have found some albums get less interesting over time, especially when I like them right away (conversely, most masterpiece albums took some time for me to really appreciate.......though there are exceptions in both cases). But this album just seems better each time I hear it. The first thing I noticed was the solid, if not overly virtuosic, guitar playing of Jean Pierre Louveton. He is quite good at coming up with interesting and melodic riffs that drive most of the songs. The keyboards here are more of a backdrop to the rest of the instruments, but in that they do a very nice job. There are a few nice keyboard solos none the less. The rhythm section is excellent. These guys are incredibly tight, with the drummer showing some impressive chops. The bassist stands out less, but it is obvious that his parts are integral to the whole. The overall sound is fairly heavy, but also has some good dynamic qualities with some songs having mellower and slower paced sections. They are certainly not prog metal, but might have some appeal for fans of that genre.

As to the songs, I can't really pick out any weak tracks. Or for that matter favorites, as they are all quite strong. I guess I'd have to say that the opening track is probably my favorite, with the 4 part epic at the end following closely (as well as the excellent instrumental before it). If I had any problems with this album it would be the vocals, which I have since come to enjoy. I can't really say what seemed wrong with them at first, but I guess it is that they are not particularly exceptional. But they are not at all bad, and I've read that this is something that improves with this band in the following albums (also, it may have just been a matter of getting used to the French lyrics and pronunciation). Also, they fit the music well. The only other minor complaint is that the concluding epic really doesn't seem like an epic. Even though the final 4 tracks segue into one another, they seem like very different songs. This is, however, a very minor point, and I really enjoy the individual sections of the piece.

Overall, this is an excellent album and I can only be excited about hearing the rest if what other reviewers have said about each album being better than the last is true. While I can't call this a masterpiece it is very interesting and original modern prog. Recommended!