HERESIE

I'm from a strange corner of the world called Belgium (No, that is not the capital of Brussels, it's the other way round). I've always enjoyed what we call chamber rock here: small classically trained ensembles mixing early 20th century modernism with world music influences. You can't usually call it rock in any traditional sense; but they sure inhabit a strong rock/punk/DIY attitude.

So I've been familiar with Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung, Aranis and a few others for quite some years. But again, Prog Archives has taught me a lesson. Until a month ago, I had never heard of Univers Zero: chamber rock from Belgium and 20 years older then all exponents I knew in the genre. Shame on me, here is the real thing! It makes you wonder how much else lies hidden in this expansive database here.

Univers Zero are hugely influenced by Stravinsky and (one of his followers) Bernard Hermann, known for the great soundtracks of Hitchcock's most popular movies. Check out minute 19.06 of La Fault! They add some percussion to it and a strong emphasis on rhythm. By consequence, there are slight similarities to Zeuhl. Jack the Ripper stands as a great example of their take on Magma with just acoustic instruments. You can also clearly feel the presence of Van Der Graaf and King Crimson on this one.

For me this music is an instant winner. I've been long familiar with the more recent exponents of chamber rock and I'm a huge admirer of the early Stravinsky works. But if this is entirely new for you it might be quite overwhelming, Jack The Ripper is sure your point of entry into this RIO universe.

I still have to work my way through the extensive discography of Univers Zero (Cuneiform, expect my hard-earned euros coming your way soon!). One thing I'm sure of already, at least one album of this band will end up as a 5 star for me. For the time being Heresie comes in at a steady 4 stars.