Review Summary: One of the best French prog albums of the 70’s, despite low recorded.
“L’Araignée-Mal” is the second studio album of Atoll and was released in 1975. The line up on the album is André Balzer, Christian Beya, Michel Taillet, Richard Aubert, Jean-Luc Thillot and Alain Gozzo. “L’Araignée-Mal” also has the participation of Bruno Géhin and Laurent Gianez, both as guest musicians.
As we know, progressive rock music was born in the end of the 60’s. During the 70’s it was essentially a phenomenon that occurred in the UK. Despite that, it also appeared in many other countries all over the world. But, it had an important expression in some European countries, like Germany, Italy, Sweden, The Netherlands and France. Some of the best and most representative French bands in those days were, for instance, Magma, Ange, Pulsar, Pentacle, Mona Lisa, Heldon, Weidorge, Clearlight, Arachnoid and Asia Minor. Atoll is one of the French bands of those days too.
So, Atoll was a French prog rock band of the 70’s that was formed in Metz, France in 1973. In a certain way, we can say that Atoll was the French equivalent of the British progressive rock bands Genesis and Yes. Their music also has many characteristics with their compatriots Ange, Mona Lisa and Pulsar, besides many other influences, like jazz. All this combined made that their final sound can be considered a unique style recognizable as Atoll. They released four studio albums in the 70’s, the first three of which are highly regarded by the fans of the symphonic progressive rock. For the final album they adopted a more commercial style that failed to garner any success. Atoll disbanded in 1981.
After truly a solid debut as a five piece in 1974, personnel changes resulted in a six-musician band that recorded what is generally regarded as their masterpiece, “L’Araignée-Mal”, a stunning work full of great compositions, interesting sounds, and varied moods. The addition of a violin acts as a wonderful counterbalance to new guitarist Christian Beya, whose technical prowess often propels the band in the direction of jazz fusion. Certainly it’s a dramatic improvement over their less good 1974 debut “Musiciens-Magiciens”, with moments of emotional power and instrumental urgency.
About the tracks, “Le Photographe Exorciste” has a slow entry in a wheel of chords typically symphonic and with a synthesizer that creates a mysterious atmosphere and the low pitched vocals whisper slowly. After the tensest part passes, the track enters in a more contemplative mood. The climax continues again, and the brilliant guitar and synth sounds impress in the end. “Cazotte nº 1” is an instrumental track developed in a very aggressive fusion line that sounds like a jazz-rock fusion track. Still, it’s a little less tense than the previous track. Instead, it can be said that it’s a more lively and rough song. It has a wonderful skill among all the musicians where the high point is the bass. It’s very rhythmic and fun to play. “Le Voleur D’Extase” starts completely different from the previous track, quite delicate. But as it develops, it also enters into the heavier terrain. The instrumental development is torn between the fusion and the classical with a beautiful melodic sense between the changing rhythmic parts that make up the piece. It’s a great song that can even be called the title of the album. It’s a fantasy trip that lasts a bit more than 7 minutes. A 21 minute suite with the title of the album couldn’t be missing. It’s a suite divided in four parts, “Imaginez Le Temps”, “L’Araignée-Mal”, “Les Robots Débiles” and “Le Cimetière De Plastique”. “Imaginez Le Temps” has a whimsical percussive introduction with a trembling violin and mysterious voices. It sounds somewhat avant-garde and dark until the structure is defined little by little. “L’Araignée-Mal” is a beautiful piece of music with syncopated rhythm that leaves a sensation of sound enchantment. It’s one of the most attractive parts of the album without a doubt. “Les Robots Débiles” is a bit funky and has a fantastic Wakeman’s like cut in the middle through the song, where the synths become prominent. The bass and the guitar are great too. “Le Cimetière De Plastique” ends as symphonically and melodically as it can with meticulous guitar work and violin undertones. The tempo picks up and everyone participates in the dense and fast paced finale.
Conclusion: When it comes to French progressive rock made in the 70’s, there’s no denying that this is one of the best and certainly the best album of the band. On “L’Araignée-Mal”, the French from Atoll succeeds in combining the classic symphonic progressive rock with a driving jazz/rock into a very exciting unit. From a solemn song approach, the compositions gradually develop in the direction of a vibrant fusion sound. The symphonic side is mainly provided by the expansive synth surfaces, which are sometimes kept in a spacey, floating style in Camel’s style, the jazzy side is mainly represented by Aubert’s virtuoso violin playing and the no less impressive Beya on the guitar. In addition, singer Balzer declaimed the lyrics in a style not dissimilar to Ange’s Christian Decamps. It’s a great starting point for anyone interested in the French symphonic scene and jazz fusion fans alike. This is a classic work that is unjustly little known.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
