For their fourth album, French symphonic proggers Nil chose to name their album "Nothing New Under the Sun," which is somewhat ironic given the state of symphonic prog these days. However, despite operating in a tired genre full of clichés, copycatting, and a general perversion of the word "progressive," Nil Novo Sub Sole manages to sound fresh. Much like contemporaries and countrymen Taal, Nil combine traditional symphonic prog idioms with touches of more strident styles (zeuhl, RIO) to keep things interesting.
Dark and moody, Nil Novo Sub Sole is emotionally cool without being musically cold: warm tones and rich keyboard and guitar lines abound, yet the mood is dark, with an edge that compares to classic French proggers like Arachnoid or Shylock. The album is best represented by its epic opener. "Le Gardien" showcases a dazzling array of styles, particularly on the part of vocalist Roselyne Berthet, who switches between angelic singing (in French), energetic scat and zeuhlish chanting with practiced ease. Midway through comes an extended instrumental section with a spiraling, descending motif, which after fading into another vocal section turns on a dime and takes off on an entirely new direction that in parts sounds like 80s King Crimson. An excellent piece, complex and diverse enough to avoid easy digestion and encourage repeated listens.
The other tracks of note are two lengthy instrumentals in the middle of the album. Both these tracks have riffs that feature a harder-edged, almost metal guitar tone, as well as soaring guitar solos that just burn — but always within a greater compositional context. Intense, heavy guitar and Stick work is contrasted beautifully with more comtemplative keys and flute, though the mood is constantly a dreary one. I'm a big fan of this edgy sound, and these two tracks ("Déregénération" and "198") are my favorites on the album. After these two highlights, the album fails to hold my interest quite as well: staying in the same stylistic groove, the melodies don't seem quite as memorable and the edges quite as sharp. Still, the remaining two songs are far from filler, and have some excellent moments.
Mixing symphonic prog with metal, jazz, a slight hint of zeuhl and RIO, and an overall sound that is somehow very French is a formula for success for Nil. This style combined with an adept compositional touch, particularly when it comes to use of space and pace, guarantees a memorable album, which Nil Novo Sub Sole certainly is. It's not perfect, but if all neo-prog were of this caliber, maybe I'd think twice about proclaiming that symphonic prog is dead.
