Flamen Dialis ~ France

Symptome - Dei (1979)

---7/30/18

A very unique album - one that inspires polarizing reviews. In spirit, Symptome - Dei seems very much like an Edgar Froese solo album - except it's not really an electronic album per se. Nor is it a type of progressive rock or folk. Avant prog? If taking the name literally, then yes. But not for what the genre has come to mean, not even close. This is a very spacious music, created mainly with mellotron and percussion. Symphonic sound sculpture? Whatever it is, I quite like it. 

---2/9/26

The notes above were penned for a journal entry that remained unpublished. So Flamen Dialis makes its UMR debut here. This is an album I've had in my possession for 30 years, though I'm still largely unfamiliar with the contents. Mostly from the imagination of Dominic Le Gallic, he gathers no less than seven others to join him on his journey. Though it seems natural to categorize the album as part of the electronic genre, it offers too many diversions to fit comfortably in that space. The spirit of exploration is very much alive on Symptome - Dei. Elements of Fille Qui Mousse are apparent, without the annoying free improv bits. The music is from another era, that of the early 1970s. When I made the Froese solo reference, I was thinking very much of the mellotron use. Symptome - Dei is absolutely drenched in it, similar to Froese's Macula Transfer in that way. The interesting phenomena about this album is it's actually melodic. Most of these type of albums tend to go tuneless in a rush to create cacophonous noise. This is miles from the Fred Frith / Tim Hodgkinson mindset. Franco Battiato is an artist that is sometimes referenced, and his early experimental works surface here as well. As I concentrate on the music, one can hear the brilliance that is Algarnas Tradgard, minus the psychedelic jams. Had this been released in 1972, perhaps those psych moments would have been in here too. One of a kind for certain. Where to place in the collection? In the same cube that stores albums on the Ohr label, for example.

The CD adds their 1978 single. Both sides are excellent, and demonstrate more of an ensemble effort. Would have loved to hear more from this era of the band.

Ownership:
1979 FLVM (LP). Acquired in 1996.

2004 Mio (CD). Booklet with liner notes in English and French. Two bonus tracks from a 45. Acquired in 2004.

1996 (first listen); 2004; 7/30/18 (notes); 2/9/26 (review)

According to the liner notes, there was a 45 single released in 1971 as the Yecta Plus Band, which was the ancestor to Flamen Dialis. I've spent a good amount of time searching for this record, including asking other like-minded collectors. Never for sale on ebay, Discogs, catalogs, etc... Nothing has turned up. I'm guessing it doesn't exist, or at the very least, it wasn't released to the public or even as a promo. Perhaps an acetate exists. Would love to hear it, if true.

Didier Le Gallic resuscitated the Flamen Dialis brand name for two more albums in the 2010s, which I've not heard.

2/9/26 (new entry)