AU-DELÀ DU DÉLIRE

I'll give it a try anyway, well at least a bit.

The first reason is highly subjective, or should I say circumstantial. I had been a huge fan of Ange since the second half of the 80-ties and I had devoured all their 70's albums in no time. Except for this Au-delà du Délire album. The library didn't have it nor was it available for purchase at the time. It wasn't till ten years later that my eyes fell on it in the 'unsaleable old garbage' section of my record store. Hearing it so long after all my other albums, the element of surprise was a bit missing.

The sound sits exactly inbetween the dark, almost gothic early works and the more glossy ensuing albums. So in terms of sound, diversity and maturity this is indeed their best accomplishment. My (small) quibble is with the song writing though. Not that it is not good here. It's even excellent at times. With Godevin, Fils de Lumière and the incredible Les Longues Nuits d'Isaac it even contains some of Ange's best songs ever. However the 9 minute closing track has never worked for me. It's not bad but fails to captivate me like the epics on the previous albums did. Half of it is a quirky ballad, the second half trademark Ange on mellotron storm. The playing is intense, the production is perfect but somehow it feels too predictable. At the end of it I always feel like I missed a finishing touch, something exceptional and eye-catching to make it stand out above anything else they had created till then.

I would doubt very much that you are in the same position as me so as a first introduction to Ange this should sure do the trick. Just don't forget to acquire the first two albums if you love this. 3.5 stars.

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