Artist: Magma
Label: Seventh Records
Release: 1978
Rating: 4.7/5
After Udu Wudu, Attahk is the next album that doesn’t continue the story of the planet Kobaia. Some of the pieces are indeed set on that imaginary planet, but they weren’t conceived as part of a bigger opus. On this record, Vander chose to focus on a more conventional way of writing and more standard conceptual foundations. Songs like Dondai, Maahnt and Lirik really do take place on Kobaia, and the rest of the tracks are also sung in Vander’s made-up language, but the composer still drifted away from the philosophy he’d set out.
One of the links between this release and the better-known works that belong to the bigger opus is the cover. It was designed by the legendary H. R. Giger, best known for creating the cover of Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and for designing the creature from the Alien films with Sigourney Weaver. Attahk shows two “chubby guys” with clip-on shades. They’re typical inhabitants (maybe soldiers) of the planet Kobaia who eventually become great friends (their names are Ourgon and Gorgo), and their adventures are also described in Lirik Necronomicus Kant.
Plenty of people felt that Magma’s downhill slide began with Udu Wudu. As far as Udu Wudu and Merci go, I’d agree, but Attahk, which came in between, set the record straight. Attahk is a somewhat unusual album even for Magma’s diehard fans, and that’s exactly why a lot of them didn’t think it was that good. Personally, Attahk is one of my favorite albums and I still happily spin it all the time.
After a long while, former member and producer Laurent Thibault sat down behind the mixing desk again. His presence is pretty noticeable in the sound, which is a bit cleaner than before. There’s more emphasis on bass and vocals, but the other instruments aren’t neglected either. That also gives the album a unique character, since it sounds different from its predecessors production-wise. I won’t claim Thibault is a better producer than Gomelsky, they simply each have their own approach.
The album kicks off with a pretty atypical fusion, but before long the vocals join in and the picture looks like the good old Magma again. There’s also a piano, which, alongside its electric brother, adds a classical touch to the fusion. Vander dominates the vocals, with his wife Stella and Klaus in the background. If you know Vander’s voice and don’t like it, I’ll tell you right now that this song and this album won’t be your thing, since Vander takes center stage. Vander also shows in this intro that his drumming style is perhaps almost better suited to jazz than to the near-classical music of some earlier albums, but the fact that he can play so many styles just proves he’s an exceptional musician. With jazz he can simply let loose and show off more.
Spiritual is Magma’s take on American gospel. Vander pours jazz, classical and his unique voice into the gospel, once again creating something original.
After Kohntarkosz, Rinde is where an Eastern influence shows up for the first time. Even the subtitle (Eastern Song) hints at what kind of music is coming. You mostly feel Japanese and Chinese influences, though they’re blended so nicely into the whole that they’re almost unnoticeable in the mix of classical and rock.
Closing out the first half of the album is another excellent track, a bit more offbeat and experimental than usual. There are lots of vocal experiments of almost Zappa-esque proportions, which come off as really interesting over the fusion backdrop – almost like an extra instrument (a trumpet) rather than a voice.
Maahnt continues with some of the more experimental sides, you can even hear some growling and belching. For a band that puts so much into the aesthetics of its music, that’s a pretty bold move. Then again, once the experiments wrap up, the composition heads back into more fusion and classical waters. The incredible tempo (like on the opening track and Lirik) is key here again.
Next comes a love ode with the subtitle To An Eternal Love (Večni Ljubezni), where Vander weaves his versatile voice over classical motifs, from a lovely tenor to a sensual falsetto. At the end, the piano is joined by a rather unusual instrument – the Chamberlin, which adds an even bigger symphonic effect. Magma generally preferred pianos, but on this album and the previous one you could already feel the influx of synthesizers, and now there’s also a relative of the mighty mellotron.
Nono is another track with a lot in common with symphonic music, especially in the instrumental section, where the synthesizers create a gorgeous sonic spectacle of almost religious proportions.
Attahk is an album dominated by rich vocals. This time the star is the boss himself, Christian Vander. Personally, I’d put him among the best vocalists ever, but plenty of people find his style grating. You’d better make sure his style works for you before buying any album. On this record his vocal experiments are especially noticeable. He pulls out almost all his tricks – from shrieking and falsetto to “normal” singing. Stella and Klaus have more supporting roles, but they’re executed so deftly that they’re indispensable on this album. Klaus does an especially superb job on Nono, in one of his rare solo vocal turns. Besides the vocals, there are of course the other instruments too. The bass is even more jazzy and resonant this time. It often plays several basses at once and sometimes even sounds like a guitar. Here the instrument doesn’t just form the rhythmic foundation, it’s sometimes the leading force. The keys on this album are really lavish and varied. All sorts of pianos, synthesizers, the Chamberlin… They help the combination of fusion, classical, rock and opera sound even richer and fresher. Brass shows up now and then, once again (after MDK) adding a warlike vibe, which is only fitting for an album with a title like this. The boss’s drumming is top-notch once again. Fusion suits him just as well as classical, rock and whatever other genre. There’s nothing Mr. Vander can’t do. Here he convinced me even more that he really is one of the best drummers ever.
Vander’s approach to composing is noticeably more typical here. There are no long repetitive chants, and the songs are far more dynamic and energetic. Because the tracks are pretty short, more happens in that limited time than in the same amount of time on some other Magma creations. It’s also the release that weaves the widest variety of elements into the music of all their albums, from Eastern music, gospel, avant-garde and symphonic rock to the obligatory opera, classical and jazz-rock. So it’s a kind of contradiction – more ordinary rock structures combined with forward-looking arrangements full of new influences.
With Attahk, Magma made yet another record that’s quite different from the previous ones. There’s a lot of jazz-rock, and of course plenty of classical and opera too, which Vander just can’t do without. It’s an album that’s a bit more accessible thanks to its shorter, more melodic songs with simpler structures. On the other hand, with all those vocal (and other) experiments, it’s an album that will put a lot of people off. Vander was simply thinking only about making something he himself would be happy with. And that’s the whole point of real art – to create something that satisfies you, not something that pleases those who’ve gotten used to a certain style from your past. No compromises, no limits, just a relentless assault on the senses. Attahk!
Lineup
– Christian Vander (Dëhrstün): lead vocals, drums, percussion, grand piano, Rhodes, Chamberlin
– Guy Delacroix (Ürgon) and (Gorgo): bass
– Klaus Blasquiz: vocals
– Benoit Widemann (Kahal): grand piano, Rhodes, Mini-Moog, Oberheim polyphonic
– Stella Vander (Thaud): vocals
– Lisa Bois (Sïhnn): vocals
– Tony Russo: trumpet
– Jacques Bolognesi: trombone
Production
Laurent Thibault
Tracklist
1. The Last Seven Minutes — 7:32
2. Spiritual — 3:15
3. Rinde — 3:05
4. Lirik Necronomicus Kanht — 5:04
5. Maahnt — 5:28
6. Dondai — 8:00
7. Nono — 6:43
Total runtime 39:07
