MYTHES ET LÉGENDES, VOLUME III

Wow! Much like volume 1 and 2, volume 3 of the Mythes et Legendes series is absolutely stellar. The series is a true culmination of everything Magma has accomplished, and on this volume we see what is to be of Magma in the future. The Kohntarkosz here is everything it was meant to be. The band does a wonderful job of combining the cryptic and eerie elements of the studio version and the energy and instrumental flourishes of the version heard on Live/Hhai. Benoit Widdemann's solo on this version is particularly noteworthy. To me it is one of the peak moments in Magma history, much like the MDK on volume 2. Next they play Lihns to finish off the first set. This is a beautiful song and a much more beautiful version is seen here than on Live/Hhai. Christian's singing is just so gorgeous. Next they play a large portion of Emehnteht-Re which is intended to be the next studio release, but I believe the recording process was severely screwed up with the departure of Antoine, Himiko and Emmanuel. Anyway this is a fantastic performance of an incomplete Emehnteht-Re. All of the parts have been recorded before(Part 1 on Live/Hhai, Rindoh on Attahk, Part 2 on the bonus material of Udu Wudu, Hhai on Retrospektiw 3 and various other places, and Zombies on Udu Wudu) but never together. The instrumental section features a mind boggling solo by Emmanuel Borghi and a spectacular duet with James Mac Gaw and Benoit Widdemann trading 8's and 4's. For the completed version of Emehnteht-Re, look for current bootleg recordings. They're out there somewhere. Next the band plays two smoking hot renditions of compositions from Attahk. Both are much better than the originals and The Last Seven Minutes features another ridiculous solo by Borghi. If you are at all interested in Magma's music buy this DVD. It is a very good starting point for people curious about their music. But I warn you: once you pick up one epok, you'll want the whole damn thing.