KÃRTËHL

Its hard to believe that it's been well over a half century since Christian Vander launched his MAGMA project which not only put France on the progressive rock map but also succeeded in forging an entirely new subgenre of prog called zeuhl. Add to that the mythos that has been embedded in each release that reveals the akashic records of the (supposedly) fictional planet called Kobaia. It's fair to say that MAGMA is more of a collective project of Christian Vander with dozens of talented musicians and vocalists coming and going throughout the decades but one thing is for sure and that is that MAGMA is a living legend with no signs of packing up and calling it quits anytime soon.

KÃRTËHL is the latest release out by this unique musical collaborative following the rather interesting developments of 2019's "Zess" which solicited the symphonic majesty of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. "Zess" was an interesting experiment indeed but not the kind many of the fans were hoping to be repeated. Luckily that is the case with KÃRTËHL and MAGMA picks up its true and tried musicality which more or less has taken form albeit with myriad improvisations since the early 1970s. On board are the usual suspects of Christian and Stella Vander as well as the longtime vocalist Isabelle Feuillebois and on again / off again keyboardist Simon Goubert but for the most part this is a new cast of talented musicians and vocalists delivering a new era of what the MAGMA experience is all about.

While MAGMA's discography varies greatly in how each album is presented, generally speaking the formula is pretty much the same. Stentorian choral sections heralding a new chapter of Kobaian history in undecipherable linguistic performances accompanied by circular grooves, thundering bass lines and subtle hypnotic underpinnings. Well in that regard nothing has really changed in camp MAGMA with all of the suspected musical accoutrements well established long ago firmly in place to make this like many before, a bonafide MAGMA experience however this particular album takes things a bit more into the accessible areas of jazz-funk and soul jazz which basically means that the usual alienating effects of the MAGMA universe have been tamed for a lighter even happier approach.

Basically KÃRTËHL features six new tracks and two bonus tracks mined from the 1978 recording sessions which would put the timeline firmly in the era of "Attahk" which is about the time Vander eschewed the hardcore Kobaian alienation for a somewhat more accessible sound that incorporated an easy on the ears funk groove, an idea that was carried to full fruition with 1985's nadir of the band's career "Merci." The two final bonus tracks "Hakëhn Deïs" and "Dëhndë" may be represented as mere demos but after multiple spins it's more apparent that they serve as the primary inspiration for KÃRTËHL which determined the direction of this album's mood setting. It goes without saying that this album is much more like "Merci" and other more accessible MAGMA moments than pretty much all of the other albums of the band's canon and for those of us who love the alienating darkness of albums like "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" or "K.A." then we are left finding KÃRTËHL being a little too tame for its own good.

In addition to a lighter vibe there's an impending sense of been-there done-that going on with KÃRTËHL as well which is a bit off-putting. The first three tracks are competent and even pleasant but a bit too happy for their own good. For my ears the album only becomes interesting with the fourth track "Ẁalömëhndʌëm Ẁarreï" where the melodies are more sophisticated, the hypnotic alienation is revisited and the band seems firing on all pistons therefore half the album is excellent and half a bit watered down. Granted there are no unpleasant moments on KÃRTËHL but the disjointed nature of the first three tracks and the following is a bit of a let down.

It goes without saying that MAGMA are masters in the prog world and seem utterly incapable of releasing an absolutely awful album but i also have to say that this is my least likable album since 1985's "Merci." The quality control is simply off on this one and it sounds more like a compilation of various tracks rather than a bonafide album experience which unfortunately for better or for worse is what we have come to expect from a fully-fledged MAGMA studio album experience. For any true fans this is certainly not an album to avoid as it features all those beautiful MAGMA-fied melodies in full splendor however it also fails to take the MAGMA saga into a new chapter of Kobaian mythology which is where true MAGMA fans really want to go. Yeah a tad disappointed and i doubt this will be anyone's favorite album from the band but as far as bumps in the road go, even a mediocre MAGMA album is lightyears ahead of what many bands can muster up.

3.5 stars but given MAGMA is a cornerstone of zeuhl i cannot in good conscious round up for this pillar bamd of classic prog