L'ALBATROS

SEVEN REIZH came to hit my ears in 2006 with "Samsara", a concept album on world-prog notes of great beauty. I had in mind a varied instrumentation and an incredible number of musicians on stage! Then time made that I lost sight of them, knowing however that they had also mixed at the famous Real World studios, a reference in itself. Their latest album released at the beginning of the year takes up the breathtaking adventures of an aviator, Jean Marie LE BRIS, known to have been one of the (if not "the") pioneers of aviation around 1856, with the project avant-garde to rescue sailors lost in the Atlantic!

At the composition level, it was therefore Claude MIGNON and G'rard LE DORTZ who created the backbone of the album with, once again, many instrumentalists using both current sounds and ancient sounds from multiple roots: Celtic, Irish , Muslim among others. This also reminds us that trade has long been operating between the Channel Islands and sub-Saharan Africa and that commercial and musical exchanges come from very far away. Concerning the influences, I will quote pell-mell the sound stamped PINK FLOYD for the guitar solos, the sax and the planing atmospheres; Alan STIVELL for the typical Celtic instrumentation; Alan SIMON for somewhat the same; a bit of TRI YANN for the Breton sound; some CORRS for the development of voices and melodies; a bit of Loreena McKENNITT for bringing together different musical cultures; a bit of KHALED for the voice (too much ') Kabyle; a bit of NENA, yes that goth voice of a cult band from the 80s (listen up on tracks 4 and 8!); a bit of STONE AGE too for this mix of intoxicating sounds and atmospheres; and a bit of ENYA who worked on the BOF of 'THE LORD OF THE RINGS'. That's about all, but in my opinion it's not bad.

Concerning the titles, 8 of which some approaching to see exceeding the 10 minutes! The intro "The Chinese Pavilion" invites us to travel, making us visit a landscape of tranquility alternating between prog development and relaxing melody. "Brizh", more than 14 minutes long, brings him the weft of voices, sailing between Celtic air, Irish air and Kabyle lament, all accompanied by soft but tenacious sounds. Just listen to the break with heavy percussion around 8 minutes then the explosive finale with sax (which is coming back into fashion for this instrument!) and compulsive guitar, a piece that passes without realizing it. The following two titles are for me the most "painful", the most irritating if you haven't opened your ear to the North African influence, with Farid's voice still sounding too high. At the sound level, on the other hand, especially on "Dalc'h mad", the association between the violin and the explosive guitar at the end is absolutely beautiful. For "Klasker-bara", a piano ballad where ethereal and Kabyle female voices mixed with the harp allow our senses to rest. The end violin even becomes a little spleenant, magnificent! The last three tracks all exceed 9 minutes. For "Kriz" soft, relaxing atmosphere with association of voices and then mounted on a Celtic, Arabic, Irish and French multi-sound tune. Note also the final symphonic prog guitar almost of a "metal-prog" nature, it is perhaps the most accomplished composition. "Lostmarc'h" goes straight to the lands of the Middle East with a deaf rhythm of drums and voices twirling between soft female voice worthy of an elven song and Kabyle lament, it is very beautiful and well done! "Er Lein" concludes with a high-class "Gilmourian" guitar, an airy air, a prog atmosphere by the accumulation of various sounds coming to be grafted one after the other, bringing us to deep Brittany or even to Western Asia by moments. Note here the bagad 'Bro an aberiou' from Plabennec, and at the end a few whistles from Claude to confirm that ' it's over!

Well, what can I say, except that the album touches on the roots of great navigators, and not simply winged. I feel left from a port to make a stopover, and it is perhaps the downside that I will put to this album' too many ports, too many destinations can make lose the framework of the CD! As for the magnificent voices, the Kabyle voice can distract in the wrong way, you be the judge.