VOL. III [AKA: SPIRALE MALAX]

Like the previous record "I'm Around About Midnight" this one is dark and spacey with lots of electronics. Again HELDON is an excellent reference point, and these two bands are about as close to Krautrock as any French bands will come. The album is made up of two side long suites, although the second side is divided into 4 parts, even though these songs all blend together.

"Spirale Malax" opens quietly as sounds slowly rise out of silent space, pulsating as a cosmic wind howls in the background. Guitar comes in at 2 minutes followed by a keyboard melody as the mood lightens. The tempo picks up and the sound gets louder after 4 minutes. The drums become prominant after 10 minutes as the song settles down a bit. The guitar takes the lead before 12 minutes and backs off a couple of minutes later. The drums stop 16 1/2 minutes in as the pulsating sounds like in the beginning end it. Whew ! The trip is over and i'm still in one piece.

"Synthetic Seasons" begins with Part 1. Cold, spacey winds blow for 1 1/2 minutes before being interupted by drums in this haunting soundscape. Part 2 continues with the eerie backdrop as the drums start to beat faster. A guitar melody arrives after 2 minutes. It is replaced by piano a couple of minutes later. Part 3 becomes very haunting after a minute with no beat or melody just creepy sounds. Part 4 gets a drum beat 30 seconds in as angular guitar melodies join in as the sound builds. This is almost catchy. Haha. The guitar makes this the best of the four parts for me.

I actually enjoyed this a little more than the previous one. Flip a coin I guess because it's close. I do enjoy the later HELDON albums a lot more, and would compare these more to his middle period. If you enjoy Krautrock, Electronics or dark and spacey music, you need to check LARD FREE's last two albums out.