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New Music from Prog Legends Magma

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MAGMA: Riah Sahiltaahk (CD on Jazz Village)

This 2014 release features 24 minutes of intense modern jazz music.

For this release, the band lineup is: Christian Vander (on drums, piano, and voice), James MacGaw (on guitar), Phillippe Bussonnet (on bass), Jeremie Ternoy (on piano), Benoit Alziary (on vibraphone), Nerve Aknin, Isabelle Fevillebois, and Stella Vander (all three on voice).

Pounding percussion, emphatic keyboards, sinuous guitar, rumbling bass and choral vocals (in Kobian) conspire to produce modern jazz of an intense type.

Although Vander's drumming is keynote to any Magma release, those beats rarely overwhelm the music, despite their unbridled intensity. The rhythms establish a surging foundation for the rest of the performers.

The keyboards are slippery and often sweet (in striking contrast to the music's overall guttural nature.

The guitar likes to hide its riffs amid the seething fury of the other instruments.

The bass provides an almost invisible platform for the music, its rumble subliminal but influential.

Vocal chants abound (male and female together), in a fashion akin to gospel masquerading as modern jazz.

These compositions nicely measure up to a standard Magma set decades ago and have maintained ever since. A level of intensity is achieved and sustained throughout. Soft periods are scattered throughout the tuneage, chances for the audience to catch their breath, but before one can wipe the sweat from your brow, the music reclaims its puissance with a passion.

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MAGMA: Slag Tanz (CD on Jazz Village)

This 2015 release features 21 minutes of relentless modern jazz music.

For this release, the band lineup is: Christian Vander (on drums, piano, and voice), James MacGaw (on guitar), Phillippe Bussonnet (on bass), Jeremie Ternoy (on piano), Benoit Alziary (on vibraphone), Nerve Aknin, Isabelle Fevillebois, and Stella Vander (all three on voice).

One can easily consider this as the second half of the band's Riah Sahiltaahk release-in personnel, style, passion and performance.

The percussion is wild but incredibly cohesive. These rhythms communicate a passionate urgency.

The keyboard riffs glitter like jewels scattered across black velvet.

As before, the guitar is rarely heard, its snarl craftily immersed in the thick mix. There are occasions, however, when the instrument rallies the verve to dominate things with its scorching wail.

The bass is constant, often so perfectly merged with the rhythms as to become a blur superimposed on the beats. There's a very tasty passage marked by a vigorous drum solo accompanied by a bass' fuzzy rumble.

Male and female chorales belt out Kobian chants with the ardor of a bewitched gospel crew.

Despite the fervor exhibited by each instrument (and voice), the fusion of their combined might is awesome and impressive to behold.

These compositions possess an incandescence. The melodies evoke images of extraterrestrial marches spanning interstellar distances; but the procession is not one of conquest, but of devotion. Every chord and beat and chant celebrates the wisdom to appreciate existence. decorative rule

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