1001° CENTIGRADES [AKA: 2]

An awkward transitional LP. "Rïah Sahïltaahk" is probably the great Magma "epic", a feature-length composition that builds estimably on the concepts first delved into on the debut Magma double-platter. As before, the vocal attack of Blasquiz and Vander can be hard to swallow if you're used to "easier" music, but their vocals are also perfectly in tune with the tone of the music. Which, as before, is darker than dark. One can only expect such from a conceptual oratorio about the End of the Earth.

What keeps me from listing this album among the Magma greats is the B-side. Here, we find rather more conventional jazz-oriented compositions; well-played but somewhat lacking in inspiration. They weren't composed by Vander and don't fit in with his conceptual vision of Magma in any way, shape or form. Later, the band would acquire members who could compose music that did (notably, irreplaceable bassist Jannick Top), but this is something of an early aberration. After this album, Seffer and Cahen would form the slightly Magma-esque Zao, while Moze defected to Gong.

This is really one of the less essential of the "classic" Magma albums. Not bad, but not something to run out and buy either. Wait until you have some of their other albums first.