ATTAHK

On Attahk, Magma goes further toward "typical" fusion than on any album before (or after). Gone were the side long/album long epics, to be replaced by shorter, more accessible tracks. What wasn't gone was the incredible drumming, out-of-this-world bass, and Kobaïan lyrics. Instead of the chanting style which was more prominent on albums like MDK and Wurdah Itah, we get a mixture of styles here - everything from the scat-like vocals on the incredible opener to gospel-style vocals on tracks like Spiritual. Many of the tracks have some incredibly funky bass and drum interplay - Guy Delacroix was a very capable replacement for Jannick Top. Just listen to The Last Seven Minutes, or Maahnt, or Nono, or Liriik Necronomicus Kahnt to see what I mean. Along with Vander, he's the one who really draws my attention on this album. Those tracks are my favorites, by the way - they're all incredible testaments of how intense Magma could get in a more compact setting. Especially The Last Seven Minutes and Nono - some amazing bookends to an amazing album.

After MDK, this was one of the first Magma albums I heard. Ever since those days so long ago, it's been one of my favorites. This album will appeal as much to lovers of fusion as to lovers of Zeuhl I think - the jazzy/funky side of Vander and co. really comes out full swing here. Also worth noting - the third track, Rindë, is now a part of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré, so any sense of déjà vu you have while listening to that one after this one is fully justified. This is a severely underrated album in my opinion, I definitely count it among my favorite Magma studio albums, and a definite improvement over Udu Wudu.