ANGHERR SHISSPA

3.5 stars. I would say of all their albums this is the most accessible. Having sax and clarinet helps in that regard somewhat although they can get pretty dissonant at times. Before I even listened to it I looked at the liner notes and was surprised at all the lyrics, and if I have any complaints it's that by the end of the album i'm just worn out by all the vocals. This feels like KOENJIHYAKKEI's "MDK" album to me, and unlike most people "MDK" is down the list for me as far as favourite MAGMA albums go. There's no guitar on this one either.

"Tziidall Raszhisst" is my favourite, it opens with these calming female vocal melodies and spacey synths for a minute, then it kicks into gear. Drums, piano and vocals stand out. Deep bass 2 1/2 minutes in, and check out the monster bass a minute later ! "Rattims Friezz" opens with oriental sounding percussion and sax. Vocal melodies join in and drums. The drumming is fantastic. This is so uplifting. Chunky bass before 2 minutes as vocals come in. The bass, sax, piano, vocals and drums shine bright on this one. "Grahbem Jorgazz" opens dramatically with theatrical vocals and piano leading the way. Dissonant sax before 2 minutes as vocals get crazy. A nice instrumental interlude 3 minutes in with prominant sax.

"Fettim Paillu" opens with serious vocals and piano. Some heaviness after a minute. It gets a little chaotic 2 1/2 minutes in. Soprano vocals a minute later. A calm 5 minutes in with piano and clarinet. Vocals follow as the sound builds. "Quivem Vrastorr" opens with very Zeuhl-like vocals as male and female vocals trade off. Sax and drums are great before 3 minutes. "Mibingvahre" is listed as an instrumental but there is chanting on it to go along with the clapping and percussion. Dissonant horns and fat bass join in. Vocals get out of control as organ and drums amaze.Great track. "Angherr Shisspa" is dominated early by vocals and dissonant sax. It becomes very melodic 1 1/2 minutes in. The tempo picks up. Check out the vocals before 4 minutes. It becomes melodic and smooth again for 2 minutes. "Wammilica Iffirom" features vocal melodies and some great drumming with bass. Piano and sax join in too. Big bass after 4 minutes. An intense vocal section after 7 minutes.

A good album but too much of a focus on the vocals for my tastes.