Satan - s/t. 1975 France (archival)

Heaven Road were a band from western France, who had played with various famous UK progressive rock groups and sang in English. As the tide had turned regarding national pride, French had become de rigueur, and so it was suggested the band take a French name. Uhhh... the unfortunate name chosen could go either way, and certainly sends a different message than Heaven Road wouldn't you say? Whatever the case, the misnomer probably did the band no favors, as the music is hardly doomish heaviness, but rather square-on progressive rock - very much in the manner of other French bands operating at the time. The most obvious comparison to my ears is Atoll at the time of L'Araignee Mal, but certainly other bands creep into the picture such as Ange, Pulsar, Pentacle, and Memoriance. The music does possess a darker edge, and there are some really fine complex guitar/Moog runs here that are quite exciting. If there's an issue, it's pretty obvious the album isn't quite ready for prime time, and needed a bit of production work. But it's better than demo quality, and for those among us whose ears are used to a little grime, then it will be of no concern whatsoever. And considering the full package (see below), this moves into the must own category.

Every web source I can find places the album at 1975, however the back cover clearly states it was recorded in 1973*. I could believe either, though 1975 seems more in line with the style coming from France at this time.

* - OK, we now have definitive confirmation from the original owner of the tapes that it is indeed 1975.

LP: 2016 Monster Melodies

To date, this album has only been issued on LP. Monster Melodies, a record store from Paris, always does a first class job with their releases. The album is stored in a wonderful gatefold cover, and is pressed in appropriate blood red vinyl, and comes with a poster, a family tree booklet, and 3 inserts! The album sounds great - as far as the original production will allow. Finding their product cheap in the States isn't easy, but worth looking around - as deals await. If living in Europe, no need to hesitate here.