PART ONE

One of hidden secrets of the 80's prog rock scene lies in France,named HALLOWEEN.They were formed in Brest in 1983 by five musicans,among them were drummer Thierry Gillet and keyboardist Gilles Coppin.They were soon joined by violinist Jean-Philippe Brun,but this sextet was not meant to be.By 1987 HALLOWEEN reformed as a trio featuring only Gillet,Coppin and Brun on the line-up.So Coppin handled also the vocal section along with Brun,who also took over the guitars and bass next to his violin.The trio recorded the album ''Part one'' to be released originally on Musea in 1988,while in the 1994 re-issue two live tracks were also added.

STYLE: As guitars and bass were not Brun's main instruments it is reasonable the album to be heavily based on keys,pianos and violins.While one expects ''Part one'' to sound deeply symphonic for this reason,that's only partly true.The album has a mysterious atmosphere in the instrumental parts,dominated by dark synths,violin passages and in a second role come the surrounding guitars.There is also heavy doses of lonely pianos in this album.There is an attractive blending between atmospheric parts based on guitar solos and symphonic synths and more complicated material with some great breaks,which make the album quite personal.Strangely, vocals come in English (except for Jester's dance) with some French spoken pats next to the sung lines.

INFLUENCES/SOUNDS LIKE: Hard to compare,the album ranges from Dark Prog to Symphonic Rock with a theatrical taste.So if you combine the violin-based KING CRIMSON motives with some ANGE thetrical taste and some JACULA's dark atmospheres,the picture is about to be completed.

PLUS: The overall atmosphere sets the listener into the general mood quite easily.Despite not being a guitarist,Brun delivers some really interesting solos.The violin work holds a lot of Classical influences and is very well executed.Most of the keyboard work is also quite exciting.I find the theatrical side of the band to be among the best to be heard around.

MINUS: Vocals are not that good,although non-accented.The production is also weak with lots of uneven parts.Keyboards sound very plastic and cold at times.Why I have a feeling that this album would be much better if lyrics were delivered in French?

WILL APPEAL TO:...Fans of the darker side of prog,anyone into Theatrical Prog nostalgia and of course lovers of symphonic keys.

CONCLUSION: Clever enough,HALLOWEEN placed the disadvantage of not having a gifted bassist or guitarist aside by basing their sound on a fascinating atmosphere which I loved on first sight.The year of the release makes the album even more worth owning,yet the vocal section holds the album a step back among my first preferences regarding the 80's.Warmly recommended,''Part one'' deserves no less than 3.5 stars.