UNIVERS ZERO [AKA: 1313]

Univers Zero was definitely a treat for me when I first stumbled upon their discography. Immediately, I was blown away by these instrumental maestros from Belgium. The darkness they bring to progressive rock is unmatched by anything that has come before or since. It was this flavor of prog rock music, with less insistence on the traditional rock tropes, (i.e. keyboards, guitars, etc.) that I yearned for. Their debut album is remarkable compared to the music that dominated the charts and waves at the time of its release. Disco and punk rock were just breaking through the surface, the golden era of prog rock was, in some ways, coming to an end. Then came Univers Zero; a band that could very well of been hired to re-compose a Murnau film score. Looking back, one can trace the seeds "proto-prog" laid, and see what the likeliest outcome would have been, (i.e., Yes, King Crimson, etc.). In 1977, there were minute signs that music was about to experience its most experimental and sonically intimidating innovations since Sgt. Pepper's in 1967. Krautrock, was, in essence, an earlier progenitor of the form, but did not take music as far as it could go, while still maintaining some air of modesty. Rock in Opposition did, in fact, achieve this endeavor, and Univers Zero was among that clarion call seeking to oppose the banality and platitudes of record companies.

Their debut album of self-tile, also known as 1313, is of unique import but does not stand tall compared to their other releases. What stands is a unique and unmatched sound that will continue to evolve and retain an equal balance between traditional rock and chamber orchestration. For this album, however, I believe they lean a little too far in the direction of chamber orchestration. That does not mean that there is not a flare of traditional rock overtones throughout the album. I personally enjoyed the textures on Ronde, Doctuer Petiot, and the 2009 bonus track, La faulx. I find these tracks combine for an excellent pastiche of chamber music while retaining echoes of rock and jazz overtones. Give this album a listen if you are genuinely interested in something left-field and unpredictable. You might be surprised.