HEARTQUAKE / REDUX

Now again "Leviathan"! And it is immediately a plunge into the 1980s, years of the "renaissance" of progressive rock music, made up of searches for new records reviewed in self-produced fanzines sold in record stores or sent in the mail. The CD looks good right away, with a revamped graphic design and an original, well-edited booklet containing lyrics, much appreciated in times of liquid music. It starts with "The waterproof grave" with big synthesizers, guitar riffs and tight rhythm. "Hellishade of avenue" follows, with melancholic intro and "Wind & Wuthering" atmospheres, moog brushstrokes, a big central guitar solo followed by an appreciable rhythmic phrasing on which the guitar grafts again. The ironic "Only Visiting This Planet" tells us of an alien visit and a warning to humankind, in a continuous web of musical surprises. "Up we go!" is my favorite, great 80s new prog, callbacks to Pallas and Pendragon, with continuous tempo changes, great bass work and the reapparence of the beloved moog. "Dream of the coccon" is a return to quieter, dreamier atmospheres with great class. The title track is the longest track, musically encapsulating all the ideas and atmospheres of the album, with theatrical and engaging singing and all the musicians at their best. The operation ultimately represents a very appreciable work of modernism, which makes us all remain in eager anticipation of the new "Testudo"?. that is coming.