LE CIMETIÈRE DES ARLEQUINS

This second album opens with "Ces Gens Là". Yes, a prog version for one of the best song from Maître Jacques as we call him in my (and his) country. One has to dare. I must say that it is a good version of this great song. Who else than Ange could do such a job ? I guess that the absolute anti-clericalism from Jaques had to appeal them a lot. Ange will publish rather rude and irreverant lyrics against all the aspect of the religion. They won't miss an occasion to make a fool of the church in general. So was Maître Jacques as well.

Lyrics will again be absolutely weird and insane on this album. They are very ... special. And very difficult to grab if French is not your mother tongue. So, for once, I have this advantage. I am one of the few who belives though that their career would have reached another dimension, should they have chosen for English lyrics. They will do it for their album "Par Les Fils De Mandrin" which they will translate in English. I can imagine though that the spirit of their world was better expressed in French by Christian Décamps; a fabulous lyricist.

Another virulent aspect of their lyrics will be their sexual orientation. One might think that a simple track as "L'Espionne Lesbienne" is a gentle little song. The text is absolutely devastating. Talking about a lesbian (this is a temptative translation effort) : "You are the cyprin, which lubrifies the catacombs. An hemoglobin fuse, which will make the bomb quiver". (FYI, cyprin is the liquid generated by the vagina when excited. What a programme! But the whole of these 2'50" are on par. Demoniac. We are very far from what one might think a sweet little song.

"La Route Aux Cyprès" is another little tune one might think. Very much Trespassesque. It features extremely sad and pessimistic lyrics about the death and the last trip :

"Je sens que les amis sont au bout du chemin, Ils me disent que je tiens le ciel entre leurs mains. Mais mes doigts de malade craquent aux confins du vieux, J'ai senti la barrière d'où l'on voit de ses yeux"

"I can feel that my friends are at the end of the path, they are telling me that I hold the sky between their hands. But my sick fingers are cracking on the boundaries of oldness, I felt the barrier from which you can see from within one's own eyes".

These text are very, very dark. On par with some Van Der Graaf songs ("Necromancer"). Depressing.

Both "Bivouac" numbers have a very scary atmosphere. Like the opener and the closing number from their debut album, this one hold the Crimson heritage.

The general mood of this second album is less symphonic in comparison with their first one. Less instrumental passages here. Rather tranquil , but scary album actually. A bit the same atmosphere than on "Islands" from KC. This one lacks in bombastic moments.

Only the title track will be on par with their debut (I'm talking here about their own songs since their cover was quite good). Which such a title, is it necessary to mention that the lyrics are as dark as coal ? Very weird : priests, bigots, blood and death are on the programme !

The finale almost sounds as "Night On A Bald Mountain". Very scary. Do not listen to this one when you're alone at night. Gosh ! This is exactly what I'm doing for this review !

IMO, the most appealing aspect of this album resides in the lyrics, not in the music (their first album featured both aspects). It must be very difficult to get into it if your French is not outstanding (they are almost impossible to understand if your are not a native French-speaker). I really love their first album, so this one is a bit of a disillusion. This album is much darker than their previous one which was more anti-clerical and funny. I will add one star for the lyrics to the three stars this album really deserves.

Four stars then.

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