Le Festin (2001)
Le Festin was the final album from Halloween before a recent reformation a couple of years ago. They had a very nice four studio album run, all of which sit comfortably in my collection. Like many albums from this era, I dutifully purchased the album upon release, listened, and filed away. 25 years later, I'm back for a return listen.
Without notes to support, my recollection is that each Halloween album was steadily better than the last. Merlin, in particular, being quite the revelation at the time. As noted below, the debut was a bit rocky, but pulled itself together at the end, and the bonus tracks helped fill in the blanks.
By 2001, Halloween were pros in the studio, and the sound is full and refreshing. Violin plays a major role in their overall sound. The mostly French vocals are distinctly sinister, clearly taking their moniker seriously at this point. Former female vocalist Geraldine Le Cocq is listed as a "very very special guest" and her presence is that of a full time member. Digital keyboards and electric guitar round out the rest of the lead instrumentation. The rhythm section is far from static and help move the tracks along in an exciting manner. The music is diverse, generally of the gloomy and atmospheric variety, and is highly creative. Seen a few references to the French Theatrical sound of Ange, but Halloween really aren't that lyrical nor as dramatic. Their music is almost unreferenceable at this point, though clearly well within the prog rock genre. One can still hear echoes of one of their primary influencers: Pulsar. Le Festin demonstrates where their sound could have landed in the 2000s.
Ownership: 2001 Musea (CD). Booklet with lyrics in French and English, unique art (similar to the cover), and recording details. Acquired in 2001.
2001; 4/7/26 (review)
Part One (1988)
One of the early groups coming from the French renaissance of progressive rock. I bought the LP not long after it came out. Like many such bands, one had to have tolerance for modern production values and a high level of amateurism. By that time I was such a huge fan of the genre, I was willing to overlook all of the flaws. Clearly the band were trying to emulate on some level the great Pulsar, but fell well short. They were to improve greatly after this. In any case, I was pretty much ready to dump this CD after all these years until the last two tracks, where the band finally hits their stride. And that's 15 minutes worth of high quality material. The CD is the way to go here, because the two live bonus tracks ditch the poor production while the quality of the musicianship and compositions come to life. My grade remains the same, but it moves into the solid keeper category.Ownership:
One of the early groups coming from the French renaissance of progressive rock. I bought the LP not long after it came out. Like many such bands, one had to have tolerance for modern production values and a high level of amateurism. By that time I was such a huge fan of the genre, I was willing to overlook all of the flaws. Clearly the band were trying to emulate on some level the great Pulsar, but fell well short. They were to improve greatly after this. In any case, I was pretty much ready to dump this CD after all these years until the last two tracks, where the band finally hits their stride. And that's 15 minutes worth of high quality material. The CD is the way to go here, because the two live bonus tracks ditch the poor production while the quality of the musicianship and compositions come to life. My grade remains the same, but it moves into the solid keeper category.Ownership:
1994 Musea (CD). Details above. Acquired in 1994.First copy: 1988 Musea (LP). Acquired in 1988.
1988; 1994; 2/15/23 (review)
1988; 1994; 2/15/23 (review)
Also own and need to review: Laz; Merlin
4/17/23 (new entry)
No comments:
Post a Comment