THE MADHOUSE IN PARADISE

DICE, which I had already had the pleasure of reviewing, is releasing its 23rd album here. Teutonic group playing since 1974 in a melodic spatial prog rock vein plunging into Floydian and Harvestian roots, that's said; half-orchestral psychedelic neo-prog rock with long repetitive streaks, musical hooks and ten-minute tracks each time. The focus on BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, STEELY DAN, HAWKWIND and even TANGERINE DREAM emerges in addition to PINK FLOYD, this in reminiscences rather than in its own style. So we can see what's in there.

"Dust in Paradise" opens with the sound DICE, based on a long, melodic, hovering intro, 2'30 '' of pure bliss; Christian's characteristic voice (reminiscent of Steve Joliffe's on TANGERINE DREAM's 'Cyclone'); accompanies the notes of this airy track with a pleasant synth redundancy around 7 minutes. "Forever Today" follows on a more psychedelic tune, just by the sharp guitar and evanescent choruses of Ramona Nóvé; more dynamic, more rhythmic and a guitar that spins around the vocal space and then stretches like the guitarists of BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST. "The Madhouse in Paradise" starts off with a concise prog rock concept at the beginning, vocals forward, ballad on a moderate tempo then it goes, it starts on breaks where Peter's guitar is queen by offering varied loops; some of the PINK FLOYD Sheep 'and long, decrescendo finish that could have been cut before.

"Secret Moon" arrives on a delightful solo from the intro making the hair shiver; the voice which here recalls precisely 'Bent Cold Sidewalk for intonation and melodic line; we find a very present keyboard which accompanies Peter playing repetitive musical hooks. At this point you either find the titles all identical, or you spot the subtleties and differences between each of them. "Deep, Dark & ​​Holy (Dreamscene 25)" on heartbeats underwater, synthetic atmosphere on the 2nd version of TANGERINE DREAM; scent of mermaid choirs telling you to stay underwater, it's divine, scary, how a short track can bring so much musical beauty !! Lyrical psychedelic, the guitar solo is beautiful, fat, oozing heavy and bluesy sound, strident at times, sublime, airy coming from up there. "Let's Go to Paradise" sets out again on the binary rhythm, intro, verse, chorus and rambling of the guitar alternately languid or nervous as at these 6'50 "where it snatches everything maintained by a melodic marshmallow synth.

DICE continues its progressive melodic space route; cosmic rock soaring air not tormented for a penny but whose guitar is declined like a jewel. The prolongation of a singular state which makes time stop, which sends you back to certain solos of the venerable "live" of BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, ideal album for meditating and forgetting the music; this can sometimes happen and make you forget the labels, the genres, the tastes: here you are entitled to a bucolic and dreamlike dessert flirting between contemplation and meditation.