SKRYVANIA

A very low-budget effort from bunch of audacious French teenagers, this self-titled debut from the super- obscure outfit Skryvania proves a real winner, both as a triumph of limited resources and as a fully-blown symphonic prog epic. Recorded and released in 1978 with the help of a local radio station, 'Skryvania' wears its (many) influences in its sleeve, with a plethora of unashamed nods to the likes of Yes, Genesis and King Crimson mixed in with the five-piece's wildly-imaginative playing. Simply put, this is the kind of album that can only really be produced by the wild, untamed musings of youthful exuberance, the very same kind that saw the classic British groups such as the aforementioned Yes and Genesis create such classic albums in their own glorious early-seventies heyday. What actually happened to Skryvania after the album was issued(predictably, it disappeared without trace after a super-limited release) is a complete mystery, and sadly they wouldn't make any more albums, leaving behind this single gem as proof of their sadly truncated musical career. The album's highlights include the superb eleven-minute opener 'Tristan & Isault', the keyboard-burnished rocker 'Le Chateau D'Orphee' and the beautifully-structured 'Epopee', another lengthy piece which features one of the album's stand-out moments as keyboardist Henry-Jean Aubin fights a thrilling instrumental battle with guitarist Oliver Marina. The CD re-release features some nifty little covers of Yes and Genesis tracks as bonus material, yet all you really need is the original album. A truly spectacular and highly-impressive slice of dense symphonic prog, 'Skryvania' is a true lost classic hindered only by the poor production values. However, the music is that good that in the end it doesn't really matter. Great stuff.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012