MEKANÏK DESTRUKTÏW KOMMANDÖH

This album pretty much defines the Zheul sub genre Christian Vander created in 1969 and it gives the basis for other Zheul bands like my favorite "Eskaton" The instrumentation and vocals are also just immaculate. You have the lovingly weird Kobaïan vocals and methods that the singers, mainly Christian Vander, promotes. The brassy, almost apocalyptic sounds that zeuhl has in the dozens. And a general flow throughout each track that makes the music feel all the more conceptually inclined.

While I know many may find these sounds to be a bit too weird, I think that is the charm Magma rightfully holds. They may not be as weird as, say, Art Zoyd or even their Japanese little brother of Ruins, but Magma owns their refined avant- gardeness with pride. They care not for conventions of rock or jazz music, nor do they care for if they will ever appear on a radio ever. The only thing they care about is making the weirdest, most trippy experiences possible, and also to refine them into more interesting sounds which I respect songs do not need to have radio play to be good.

This is evident as to how this record came out after their second record of 1001 Degrés Centigrades, which, while still zeuhl, was a lot more based in jazz fusion and a more traditional rock flow. However, MDK explores a sound that fits way better into the vision of what zeuhl should be, a more orchestral, brass based version of what they did before. It all evolves into something that I think firmly is within its own thing, and I fully believe it works perfectly. This is a once in a lifetime record, since everything just fits together with zero hang ups or different expectations. You aren't gonna get jazz fusion, at least not in a traditional sense, nor a traditional prog rock, or jazz rock experience. You are gonna get ZEUHL. MDK is zeuhl in its purest state. It is the absolute zero in this amazing and weird musical genre, the basis if you will.

It is not a surprise that Vander is proud of this record, as he practically remakes it whenever he can in live shows, his own records, and or even releasing an older version of the music in the 90s. I'd be too if I made something this good. While I do think the live albums are a discussion for another day, MDK in a live setting works just as well as the studio version. The versions of MDK on Retrospektïw, Magma Reims 1976, and Trilogie Au Trianon are my favorites, maybe I might consider them masterpieces in their own rights too. My personal favorite is the one from Retrospektïw, as it has this bass solo from Bernard Paganotti that has a bit of a call back to De Futura, another s-tier Magma track. Not only that, but it also has that amazing opening that feels so dramatic and heavy, that it turns MDK into not only a musical expression for me, but a full blown epic.

I could go on all day, though I think I'd be scraping the bottom of the barrel for my love on this record if I continued any further. Where all kinds of bands made me fully fall in love with progressive rock music, , me personally a lot of jazz fusion bands are where my love of the different, more avant-sides of the progressive rock house fully bloomed into a point of no return. Of course, I fully believe everyone should at least listen to this album once, as it is just amazing. I love Magma with my whole heart, and I doubt that other bands can encase what Magma contributed to the Zheul sub-genre This is album is great I love it I can see the talent from the whole group and thier other efforts, but its not my daily listen so to say. 4.5 stars

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