Dies Irae. 1976; 1978 Monaco (archival)

Dies Irae's archival album demonstrates many parallels with the Satan album I wrote about a couple of years back. They were both from the mid 70s, play a very French style of progressive rock, the recordings are less than stellar, and were released in lavish packages from Monster Melodies. And while the music has a bit of loss (think of an archival tape you may own), the music is too superb to ignore. These recordings are mostly from 1978, with 3 live tracks from 1976, all interspersed. Musically I was reminded of the early 70s French bands such as Ame Son, Atoll, and even Moving Gelatine Plates. Only the final slightly new wavey 'Stake a Bobolink' indicates the time and place. Dies Irae sports a five piece versatile lineup including woodwinds. It's a real tragedy that Dies Irae weren't afforded more time in a proper studio. The final product would most certainly have been considered one of the progressive rock greats from the region. 

Ownership: LP: 2016 Monster Melodies. Gatefold. Clear vinyl. Recent online acquisition. As is usually the case, Monster Melodies provides a lot of value with their product. The cover is very nice filled with lyrics and recording details. Comes with a small poster of a band advert, a cardboard concert flyer, and a postcard of the band playing live. No history, though it can be found online. The cover is a bit misleading, as it looks more like an early 70s psych band, but it's still cool artwork. One could also make a case that the title should be Chaos if considering the label.

12/27/20 (first listen/review/new entry)