Description:

A breakdown of its composers shows that "Influence of Dreams" was written by Hervé Aknon, "The Universe... Why? was written by Thierry, "The Other Side" by Simon, and the remaining three by Christian. The "Influence of Dreams" is an extension of the a cappella group "Eiral Nomi," of which Hervé was a leader and composer, and it is a blend of Zeuhl sound and modern harmony/spiritual jazz, where the main vocal and chorus are intricately intertwined on a five-beat rhythm, flexibly changing the key in a natural flow. A masterpiece that blends Zeuhl's sound with modern harmony/spiritual jazz. The song "Space... Why? Why? is a dark and mystical piece that could be said to represent Magma's public image as it is, with a dubious chorus that dances around a three-beat rhythm reminiscent of "Contarcos". The style of the song is more like that of Magma's followers than that of the original, but the performance and arrangement, led by Christian's drumming that freely changes between strong and weak beats, is a masterpiece that no one but Magma could have achieved.The Other Side" starts with a blues/hard rock flavor that takes you by surprise, but gradually transforms into a soaring gospel song with Christian's vocals. The three new songs from Christian's pen, on the other hand, were not written entirely for this album, but rather are rearrangements of songs that were composed in the 1970s but left unrecorded for many years. As if to prove this point, the demo versions of "Invoke the Gods" and "Prayer," which were recorded in 1978 by René Garbe, who passed away in 2003 after many years of spiritual support, and Christian, who passed away in 2003, are included as bonus tracks, which is rare for Magma's studio work. This is the first official appearance of all three songs, but enthusiasts may recognize "The Ballad of Irena," which was performed live only a few times in early 1977, and "Prayer," one of the songs used on Rene Garbe's fantastic "Heart Music" album.As can be heard from the aforementioned demo recordings, all three songs, as well as songs from "Attaq," "Bobino 1981," and "Merci," had already taken shape in the late 70s, and the style is reminiscent of the aforementioned albums, with elements of funk/soul/motown sound added to the music. The album is reminiscent of the above albums, with elements of funk/soul/motown sound added. Especially, "Awaken the Gods" has an uppity yet somehow melancholy/nostalgic tone that strongly reminds one of Magma from '82 to '83, just before the transition to Offering, and it has a very fresh sound as it is a type of song that was rarely heard in studio works or live performances after the revival in 1996. It is a song that has a fresh sound. This album is a collection of works with a very optimistic viewpoint, a complete change from "Zess," which had a very heavy song background among Magma's series of works that implied a dark and pessimistic future. As mentioned above, the emphasis on the "voice" in this composition tends to focus on the vocals and chorus, but the instrumental side of the band is also well-developed, with a bass that sinks into the space and a guitar that inserts effective phrases with sharp playing. This is a masterpiece that further expands the band's possibilities with the most flexible composition ever! (2/2)