MANDYLION

1. Strange Machines muffled and heavy riff on the left, it opens with the snarling bass-drum base which highlights the arrival of Anneke's voice; a heavy atmospheric sound, an Experimental/Post Metal sound as often marked; an innovative sound yes; the synth to lessen the musical angles then the riff and Anneke like a siren; Frank's synth sets the fire by prolonging the dark metal effect 2. Eleanor dull, dark, metronomic, dark symphonic ambiance, on an advance of great Ancients near the door of our world; most of all a heavy heavy sound reminiscent of a BLACK SABBATH full of synths and an idyllic voice, one of the first in this world of macho brutes; before Pat BENATAR, Suzie QUATRO and that was it, ah yes Patti SMITH for the intoxicating side; in short a thunderous solo with machine gun guitar on a keyboard reminding me... but shh, but if the famous 'Airport' from MOTORS, in short; the break to return to the original sound with these tribal tambourines from Hans; an innovative, avant-garde musical slap track 3. In Motion #1 which puts you on the alert... there will be a 2, a concept this album? Anneke wants to be flighty in it, we see the white outfit of her long dress... not a branded tracksuit; long and slow hypnotic monotony which settles in with intoxicating layers of synth, an air which revolutionized the air almost 30 years ago; extravagant 4. Leaves with one of the first clips where we saw Anneke, without rhinestones, which convinced me that we could sing without necessarily showing off according to macho codes (hold black rap I tickle you); moment when youth could headbang without neck problems with this slow, languorous, hypnotic and mantranic title; in short when it's good we listen and that's it.

5. Fear the Sea nervous title with a jerky riff sprinkled with the keyboards of Frank, one of the legs of THE GATHERING with the RUTTEN brothers; an electro-opaque break, half S-F, half TANGERINE DREAM sequences at one point, stunning; Hugo's bass is heavy; again this mantranic sound that sends you far away, well I had forgotten that Anneke sang on it; the riff returns to close this singular title 6. Mandylion and this intro reminding me of a Didgeridoo; a dark synth pad again, ah this tribal pad à la Peter GABRIEL, yes tribal then; sublime swooning start; oh the station wagon that derails your anvil, that capsizes you; oh there we are much further than in the experimental here, it becomes divine; another break and it increases, it swells, Nirvana is not far away, I even walk on it; these percussions, these bells, these cymbals, these greasy layers of keyboard invading and 7. Sand and Mercury arrives, archaic symphony, explosive PINK FLOYD-style drums, invasive melody on the piano, a crushed riff starts, yes it seems like it's all 'playing' by itself; backing vocals on this hypnotizing riff... to the point that you no longer know when this soaring break arrived, the same for Anneke who comes to whisper; the finale becomes Olympian, offering a pompous grandiloquent sound which announces a final quote from Simone de Beauvoir 8. In Motion #2 for the title bringing you back to earth, common for me given the previous titles; a slow melancholic melody boosted to find the light black, to delight in these sounds from another continent, coming to batter the prog that is losing momentum and showing the way to a necessary fusion between prog and metal; the spleen break with shrill-tearful guitar and the gray keyboard saturated with beautiful, despairing notes drives the point home; ending that leaves you wanting.