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Label: Cuneiform
Tracks:
- Blackmail 9:35
- Stimpy Bar 5:12
- Redrum 11:03
- Cinema 1920 5:00
- Nova Express 15:32
Musicians:
- Michael Anselmi: drums, percussion
- Cyril Malderez: guitar
- Gregory Tejedor: bass, percussion
- Olivier Tejedor: keyboards, devices, percussion
This is the second album of this French band, that in my opinion
overcomes the first one released in 1999.
The style of the group does not defer too much of the first work, but it
continues evolving positively. With influences from King Crimson
(especially), Anekdoten, Univers Zero and Magma among others, the band opts
a bit towards the wild kingcrimsonesque RIO near to bands as Happy Family or
Gestalt, but NeBeLNeST have their own and personal style.
The duels of Frippesque guitars and mellotrones continue, present in their
first album, and even more instrumental intensity, besides a lot of musical
complexity. I would say that it is more complex than in the first album.
This second album I think is better finished than the first one. The
maturity of the band is obvious and also a major elaboration in the
compositions. Their style is already more personal, and less derivative from
other bands than in the first album.
After a curious beginning, with a really chaotic track, "Blackmail", the
most spectacular, in my opinion, is the 15 minutes track "Nova Express". A
brutal and intense piece, with enigmatic mellotrones and hard and sharp
guitars, intense and fast rhythms, besides ambient and experimental passages
near to post-rock. Also among the best, are the very prominent "Stimpy Bar"
and "Redrum". These pieces turn the album in one of the most advisable of
the year, and likewise turns the band in one of the most innovative inside
the King Crimson-RIO vein.
In short, undoubtedly it will be one of the big albums of this year, which
due to its complexity I do not think it will reach a high popularity inside the
current progressive scene, but... who knows.
Rating: 8.5/10
Ferran Lizana
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