MYTHES ET LÉGENDES, VOLUME I

Last year, Magma were able to celebrate their 35th anniversary. The band played 4 weeks at Triton in Paris, each week with a different setlist representing the different eras in the history of Magma, and a different notable guest musician from the band's past. "Mythes Et Legendes Vol. 1" is an excellent document of the band's first week at Triton. Along with former vocalist and percussionist Klaus Blasquiz, the band performs 8 of their early classics.

Every single piece performed on this DVD is simply superb. At first I was skeptical about the new Magma line-up, but I can now safely say that they do not disappoint. The arrangements generally stick closely to the originals, with a few things changed around here and there, probably to fit this line-up better.

The highlight of this disc is an absolutely blistering rendition of Theusz Hamtaahk, the first movement of Vander's epic trilogy. The voices of Blasquiz and Mrs. Vander beautifully accomodate each other while the man himself attacks his drumkit like there was no tommorow. Of course, they have aged, but it is hardly noticeable. The younger members play along hypnotically with James Mac Gaw adding a bit of McLaughlin and Phillipe Bussonnet's bass being every bit as menacing as Jannick Top's. Magma's playing is simply flawless - when Vander coined the expression "music of the celestial might", this is what he meant.

On the technical side of things, the video quality is generally very good, even though it is noticeable that the DVD was "just" filmed with digital camcorders, some on consumer- level. There are no annoying flaws, and the home-made quality makes the DVD a more intimate experience that captures the atmosphere of the small venue very well. The Dolby 2.0 audio mix is also nearly excellent; the only fault is that Blasquiz is sometimes placed a bit too low in the mix.

All in all, this is an excellent DVD that I think every Magma fan should get. And I think I can safely say that we have only seen the beginning - in the backstage footage after the concert, Vander is seen talking to a certain leather-clad bassist! All will be revealed on Vol. 2!