CEUX DU DEHORS

You know, we´ve got to give it to the RIO bands. In times where prog was not popular, this band decided to give a big up you to the music industry, which had already become much more industry than music, and expand the boundaries of what could and could´t be done in music... well, couldn´t for most musicians. Not to say that this bands where the only responsable for keeping prog alive, let´s not forget bands like King Crimson and Rush, both of which where probably at their proggiest and had quite the sold-out theaters (and arenas in Rush´s case), but not cause of that is the role the RIO movements played any smaller. I for one, take my hat off... if I had one that is...I need to get a hat...

Now, on to the music! From the evil, haunting and slightly monotonous Heresie 2 years had passed and change had been big. Not only did Univers Zero change completly, presenting a much more divers product, while still mantaining a big appretiation for the dark side of music but they had also lost a member. Roger Trigaux went on to form Present, a similar band in nature to UZ, but, apparently not as good. This left Denis´s band without a guitarist... and so would they continue... without a guitarist. The album opens with must not only be UZ best song of the album, but also one of their best 5 or so: Dense, a name so closely linkable to UZ it could pretty much become a anthem for them. The song itself is very divers, going from frantic rhythm patterns, to sinister passages to complex interplays. Stravinsky is a primarly influence at all times, but so are also other XX century composers, like, even, Stockhausen. A very rich and excellently composed piece of music. The rest of the album could also be discrived this way, although not as exciting. Well, Combat comes quite near to Dense´s altitudes. A nice surprise is Art Zoyd´s monster bassplayer Thierry Zaboitzeff (well maybe not so surrpising, this two bands are frieds and Denis even played in several Art Zoyd´s albums) playing cello in La Tete du Corbeau, although the end result is nothing astonishing to be honest. People tend to compare Art Zoyd to UZ, saying even that they sound a bit too much like UZ... I for one have to disagree. Not only has Art Zoyd a sound of their own, I find them much more interesting, divers and ultimatly better than UZ. Not to say UZ is worst, it´s just my personal opinion, but I honestly can´t see the, sometimes ridiculous, comparison.

All in all quite the good album, but, apart from Dense and Combat, the music is still a bit too... I don´t know how to discrive it... it seems to me like they are trying to sound like the darkest thing ever just for the sake of it sometimes. But it´s still a very good album, and, if a fan of RIO, you can´t skip this one!