MY MAGNIFICIANT INSTABILITY

Nice and overlooked band hailing from the centre of the Canadian prog scene,Quebec.They were formed in mid-90's with original mambers being Mathieu Lassard on vocals and guitars,Yves Hallee on bass,Pierre Massicotte on keyboards and Phillippe Lachance and drums.Their firsl album ''My magnificent instability'' came out in 1997 and seems like a tribute in both vintage and modern progressive rock scene.

From the opening minutes of ''In every failure'' you've got to admit that this is a talented young band.Violin strings blend with FRIPP-ian guitar hooks in a rhythmic manner,while vocalist Mathieu Lassard,though he doesnt sound anything like FISH,tries to present a theatrical and expressive way of singing with a succesful result.Throughout its way the track adapts a melodic symphonicism with careful used synths and guitar solos.''Paradox #1 for two pianos'' is a fine and short yet grandiose piano crescendo with a dark mood,leading to the excellent '' Destiny''.A weird mix of ABRAXAS-like Neo Prog with VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR twists is what you wil meet here.Powerful guitars and vocals mix with an obscure cello-based middle section to bring Polish band LIZARD to mind.Very original and highly creative music!''Just in words'' steps more into the Neo Prog territory with Lassard sounding a bit like ASGARD's Francesco Grosso.Vintage sounding keys,sharp synths solos and guitarsfull of energy and power offer another memorable track,filled also with spoken parts and great vocals overall.''A I'aube de'' is another short track with a sound close to JEAN PIERRE ALARCEN's early works on Classical approach.Symphonic Music dominated by the string section,which also reminds bands of the RIO/Avant movement.

It is true that an over 15-min. epic composition can be either a hidden trap or a majestic moment on a prog band's discography.And DAGMAHR did it quite well on the long ''Leaving For Paris'',where organ sounds and STEVE HOWE-like guitar chords will leave their place to a deep,atmospheric synth/guitar-driven with a evidentt MARILLION-esque flavor.It's time for Lassard to offer another memorable performance with his sensitive voice this time,accompanied by a heavy bass work,before the ghost of ROBERT FRIPP re-enters the scene and DAGMAHR mix it with well-crafted melodic keyboards and pianos.The track will close in a Neo/Symphonic way,based on a series of nice electric solos and the thrilling closing singing lines of Lassard.Well done!

This is absolutely fascinating and original music and ,in my opinion, DAGMAHR are capable of creating a future masterpiece for all the prog listeners out there.Purchase without second thoughts,this is a solid 4 star effort!