ARCHAÏA

The sound of a black mass you'd wish you were at, or glad you weren't. It depends. I would probably have chickened out and ran all the way home to mommy...crying.

Archaïa sounds somewhat ancient and timeless simultanously. Just like the name suggests, but it also feels new, fresh and unlike anything else. Even now, thirty years after its original release. One track is called Le Grand Secret, and that's exactly what this distubing but hauntingly beautiful mastepiece of dark, chthonic zeuhl is to me.

Its like you're suddenly part of a secret, complex ritual you don't understand. (We have all stumpled into that a couple of times, right?) My insignificant intellect translates the advanced sound of Archaiä and creates images of some kind of occult dyonisian bacchanal. Meaning an orgy with lamb and virgin sacrifices and gallons of blood, dangerous drugs all over the place, red wine in grailshaped glasses, add a black goat standing on two feet, hairy people in long capes and of course, lots of nudity. Basically that scene in Eyes Wide Shot, only dirtier and outdoors.

At the time of its release it only sold a couple of hundred copies, and Pierrick Lebras, probably dissillusioned sold the tapes for a follow up album at a flea market!(?). The world is unfair and stupid , but that's not excactly news. 1977, the rise of punk, and fall of prog, but only for those of you fixated on the sympho-megalomaniacs of the UK scene. In France and Belgium they were just getting started.

Thank the good (or evil) people at Soleil Zeuhl for re-releasing this. If I'll ever spend 500 bucks on one LP, it will be this one. Hail Satan!