Tracklist:
1.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré I (6:53)2.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré II (22:25)
3.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré III (13:06)
4.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré IV (3:54)
5.Funëhrarïum Kahnt (4:19)
6.Sêhë (0:27)
Members:
- Christian Vander – drums, vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboard, percussion- Stella Vander – vocals, percussion
- Isabelle Feuillebois – vocals
- Hervé Aknin – vocals
- Benoît Alziary – vibraphone
- James MacGaw – guitar
- Bruno Ruder – Fender Rhodes
- Philippe Bussonnet – bass, piccolo bass
Magma is a unique band
in the music world, so much that they are literally in a genre all of their
own. They play a kind of music that has influence from classical music, jazz,
opera, progressive rock, avant-garde, and fusion. It’s a complex and extremely
uncanny mixture of rhythms and melodies that one may think cannot go well
together, but they surprisingly have all been put together to wonderful results
in Magma’s compositions. The name that has been given to this combination of
sounds is Zehul, which is Kobaian for “Celestial”.
Now to explain what
Kobaian is in all its complexity it would take a lot of pages, so I will just
say that it is the language in which Magma compositions are sung. Each Magma
composition tells one chapter of the story of Kobaians, people from Earth that
went to another planet called Kobaia to colonize it after planet Earth became
an unbearable place to inhabit. The band has created a whole mythology around
their compositions with this story, which is very symbolic and draws a lot from
science fiction. The language is supposed to be what Kobaians speak after some
generations have lived outside planet Earth and this unified language has been
established in the colony, which has lost all contact with planet Earth and so,
needs to create its own society.
Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré is the
album they released in 2009 part of a trilogy of compositions that tell the
story of Köhntarkösz, an archeologist that finds the tomb of an ancient
Egyptian pharaoh and becomes a sort of prophet. He starts having visions of
Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré’s life and work, and so begins his quest to spread his philosophy
and continue the pharaoh’s path to reach a higher spiritual level. It works as
a sort of prequel to the whole Kobaian saga, as his followers end up being the
ones who leave planet Earth for a better future on Kobaia. In this installment
of the trilogy we are introduced to the story of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré, as it is seen
in the visions of Köhntarkösz.
Aside from all the
mythology surrounding this album, what we have here is some wonderfully
executed music. This was the first Magma album I ever listened to, and it was a
magical experience to listen to something as unique and mystic as this.
Christian Vander, the mastermind behind Magma, is in top form here, being
responsible not only of the outstanding drumming, but also of composing this
wonderful piece of music. All members of this Magma incarnation give their
best in this album, bringing to the table the best of them to fulfill Vander’s
perfectionist vision. The result is one of the best albums of the past decade,
at least in my book.
The first three minutes work as an introduction, first with spoken words and then some classic
Magma chanting surrounded by a very dense atmosphere created by the drums, the
bass and the piano. Following this we have Stella Vander’s beautiful vocals in
the forefront accompanied by the piano and the choir sporadically singing with
her. This section attracted my attention from the start; it is gorgeous what
all this voices do together and the chemistry that the piano, drums and vocals
achieve. Christian Vander is, as always, masterful in playing minimalist drum
passages in this section. They are a great companion to the sheer beauty that we are witnessing.
As the first section
of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré ends, the Stella gives the main vocal duties to Christian.
This transition always puts a joyful smile on my face; it is so amazing how
naturally the composition flows from a more contemplative mood to this almost
celebratory section. Section II of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré has many moods, as it is more
than 20 minutes long, but this first part is a favorite of mine. The bass is
the star here flowing very nicely and playing the melody the vocals sing. All
the elements the musicians display such passion and talent in section II, they
all play as tightly as they can showcasing some of the most amazing
musicianship I’ve had listened to in the process.
As said before, this
first part of section II has a celebratory sound, which is mostly displayed by
the beautiful and complex vocals, but also by the playful bass and guitar
playing and the constant piano line which surprisingly is what gives rhythm to
the song even more than the relentless almost schizophrenic drums. It ends in a
blast of musical genius when the piano gets loose and shifts from playing the
main repetitive melody it had been playing and plays a very beautiful melody to
finish the first fourteen minutes of section II.
The last eight minutes
are more somber and take the jazz elements from the first half to a more
aggressive and urgent place. The darker tone is accomplished by the outstanding
bass and the male vocals, which keep the listener on edge by building a tension
that seems to be endless. The guitar and the drums create a delightful sense of
madness and paranoia that is palpable throughout this whole section. It feels
like a trip into the mind of a very insane person, and it is a real treat to listen.
As section II
unravels, the choir introduces the third section with one of its most
outstanding performances, a blast of vocal genius that leads to a very quiet
and minimalist section with the drums, bass and piano displaying their talent
for minimalism. The vocals then re-enter, with Stella in the forefront again, accompanied
by the jazzy drums that displays its talents on minimalism and avant-garde in
this part of section III. The song starts taking shape as the bass starts
playing a repetitive riff that gives pace to the song. There is a ritualistic
feel throughout section III that is reminiscent to section I but with the jazzy
and relentless complexity of the ending part of section II.
By the middle of this
section we have been witness to some of the most virtuosic display of
avant-garde, not just by the usual incredible drums, but also by the bass when
it gets loose from its main riff to give a master class on bass playing. The
rhythm section is in top form throughout the thirteen minutes that compose this
track, but this is not the only treat we get on it. The mysterious piano
playing and the almost menacing vocals are of the highest quality and the
guitar in the final part of the section also contributes to the overall feeling
of apprehension this section portrays. In the end the chants come back as the
song becomes faster and playful again as section III comes to a magnificent
conclusion.
Section IV opens with
the beautiful vocals of Stella Vander preparing us for what promises to be a
gorgeous conclusion. The chants that follow are evocative of the ritualistic
celebratory moments we have heard throughout the album. The piano is the main
attraction here, with beautiful melodies that carry the section along with
Stella’s vocals. The section surprisingly also has its dark and its jazzy
moments, but the general feel is calmed and melodic instead of the dissonance
from before. The song ends in an enigmatic tone that leaves the listener
baffled to what he has just listened to. In me, it created a need to go back to
listen to this composition again and again until I could grasp all of its
complexity and beauty.
Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré is not
the only composition we have here, even though it is the most important one. Funëhrarïum
Kanht works as a sort of funerary march with its dark and depressive tone. The
vocals here are almost like Gregorian chants, and have a mournful feel. There
is a very hard hitting piano accompanying the chants that make the feeling of
dread the song has even more despairing. Finally Sëhë is a short piece of
spoken word that is surrounded by an obscure atmosphere that makes it very
cryptic, leaving the listener puzzled by what it means.
As this was my first
experience with Magma, which is one of my favorite bands, this record is very
dear to me. This is a band that begs to be listened and acknowledged as the
musical geniuses they are. This album is one more addition to the series of
masterpieces of Magma’s outstanding catalogue, and shows this incarnation at
its best. This legendary ensemble has achieved here a level of maturity that
establishes its status as one of the best in musical history, and confirms once
again that Christian Vander is one of the most talented and creative composers
of all time.
