ART ZOYD 3 [AKA: SYMPHONIE POUR LE JOUR OÙ BRÛLERONT LES CITÉS]

Great surprise from a genre that still manages to catch me off guard every time I decide to give it another go. RIO Chamber music might not be the genre I like to listen to without a break every now and then but thanks to the great variety of styles and sounds incorporated in the term you know that you'll be taken for a ride no matter the band.

Unlike similar bands like Univers Zero I haven't had the opportunity to hear that many Art Zoyd albums due to the rare nature of their record availability. But after completely unexpectedly stumbling upon Symphonie Pour Le Jour Où Brûleront Les Cités I'm pretty certain that the album has peaked my interest enough for me to continue tracking down the rest of this band's discography. The debut album begins wild screams and shouts that took me completely by surprise the first time I heard them but this was clearly done to capture the listeners attention which the band clearly succeed in accomplishing. The majority of the material consists of pure Chamber Rock at its finest but there are quite a few technical Avant-Prog moments featured here as well. The best example of this sound can be heard on Simulacres which demostrates an interesting side of the band that, if explored to its full potential, might have taken this release from a strong 4-star release to an essential piece of the RIO/Avant-Prog genre.

Since this is my first Art Zoyd album it is difficult for me to say how it compares to the rest of the band's discography. The few sample tracks that I've heard from the later years sound a lot more electric which is definitely not the case with the debut album that only features acoustic instruments. The comparison to the early Univers Zero sound is almost unavoidable except that there is no bassoon and very little percussion heard through Symphonie Pour Le Jour Où Brûleront Les Cités.

It's important to mention that the music here isn't as dark as some of the other RIO Chamber music that I've heard on albums like Heresie, instead this can be described as Chamber music with an eclectic side to it. A must have for fans of the genre and an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.

***** star songs: Simulacres (6:55)

**** star songs: Brigades Spéciales (13:21) Masques (8:59) Les Fourmis (5:34) Scènes De Carnaval (8:50)