ARCHAÏA

A bit of a letdown compared to the positive reviews this album has. Archaïa's one and only studio album takes a much different twist on normal Zeuhl, sprinkling in electronic and ambient elements. In fact, the band consisted of a heavy use of keyboards, minimal guitar, and all of it being put together with a steady bass, but it comes with the twist of there being no drums on the album. The cover set the stage for me as a dark and mysterious album, and the music delivered. It's very much leaning towards a ritualistic and ominous style, with the uncanny instrumentation adding to this factor. All the songs are only a couple of minutes long, with the longest being only nine minutes, and that overall brings my rating down a little because if the songs are too short, the band can get kind of restricted (especially with how slow the songs are).

My personal favorite song on the album is that nine-minute track I mentioned up above, with the title of L'Arche Des Mutations. It's creepy, experimental, and has an overall ambitious and interesting vibe that stays on track for the entire song. It manages to stay unique and different in musical form when compared to the rest of the album, even though it stays in the band's established sound for the record. The other songs, however, can get a little dry and move into more subtle, cult-like noise. By that I mean it seems like the band ran out of ideas and just copied the same recipe for a couple of passages. I also find the overall ambient aspects of every song just not really good or memorable. With that being said, there are still some more songs that I found intriguing. Specifically songs like Soleil Noir, La Roue, and Le Grand Secret. And while the track Sur Les Traces Du Vieux Roy falls close to that bland section I previously mentioned, I will give it credit because of the unique guitar style that, while probably not directly influencing King Crimson and Robert Fripp, would go on to represent what they would play in the Eighties.

In conclusion, this band would've never had the potential to be a top band in my eyes. Their unique approach to music as a whole, and often with a lackluster performance in some songs, would make it difficult for them to even come out with any recorded music in general. They had some sweet spots sprinkled over this album, but for me it just isn't enough to bring my rating anywhere over 3/5.

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