Artist: Univers Zero
Label: Cuneiform
Released: 1981
Rating: 4.7/5
Two years after Heresie, Univers Zero returned to the music scene. Roger Trigaux was no longer with them. By then he had founded Present (where Denis also helped out on drums). Trigaux wanted to make more electric music, while Denis wasn’t done yet with what you could call chamber avant-garde. With Trigaux gone, Denis took even more of the lead. He wrote most of this album. His biggest helper was the new member, keyboardist Andy Kirk, who slotted right into the band.
The style on this record is a little different from the previous two. Andy Kirk’s writing is more conventional than Trigaux’s, but still demanding enough. Denis also shifted his approach to making music a bit for this album. There’s less emphasis on oppressive atmospheres and on structures so complex you could almost say there’s no structure at all. Both Denis and Kirk leaned into a more melodic approach, and they definitely nailed the right combination. There are just enough slower, gloomy parts, and just as many faster, almost songlike segments. Still, I don’t think you’ll be whistling any of their melodies.
The album kicks off with Dense. You notice the change right away. Dense is bouncier and more upbeat than we’re used to, and even the harmony sounds friendly. The structure is more ordinary too. The first few minutes are super energetic, then a slower section kicks in and the atmosphere shifts a bit. It all sounds more like Heresie and 1313 again. In this slow part you also spot a new addition – the mellotron, which only adds to the dark mood. Even in this calmer stretch there’s plenty going on, so you never get sleepy, since every instrument often plays a different melody, and that only underlines the quality of this band.
Next comes a seemingly simple tune with just a few melodies. But once you dig in, you notice how elaborate those melodies are and how many variations there are (a bit like fugues). It feels like the musicians keep switching time signatures, which makes the song pretty hard to follow even though it moves along slowly.
The next song is more offbeat and almost fun. It’s the first and only one on this album you could call almost entirely upbeat. The melodies are pretty typical Univers Zero, with plenty of dissonance, but fewer minor chords. The track Parade from the next album – Uzed – is similar.
Combat is the first composition on the album not written by Denis. That honor went to new member Andy Kirk. Along with Dense, Combat is my favorite track on the album. It has everything you could wish for, from an almost symphonic overture with piano, drums, bass and violin (almost too “normal” a section for them), to a dark middle part where the mighty mellotron reigns and creates an incredibly suffocating atmosphere reminiscent of the band’s earlier albums. Then comes a dramatic, wild finale where a variation on the opening theme plays out. The piece flows unusually well, since not a single section is too long or overstretched. It’s probably the closest they ever got to typical symphonic rock (some parts remind me of Gryphon).
Next up is a group improvisation said to be inspired by the work of writer H.P. Lovecraft. But be warned: this is nothing like jazz or rock improvisations. It builds more on ambient, similar to what King Crimson occasionally did on their first two albums (The Devil’s Triangle). Dark, sure, but not all that gripping or interesting, though it shows how many different genres Robert Fripp and his gang of experimenters influenced.
Guy Segers is responsible for La Tête du Corbeau. Tête recalls the band’s earlier look (Heresie). The tempo is fairly slow, and in the background you can feel sadness, melancholy and madness.
To close, it’s Univers Zero in their newer form again. Once more everything is a bit more melodic. The atmosphere is again closer to the previous two records, but overall the song is more rhythmically varied and dynamic. Only Denis, Kirk and Segers play on this track. Denis picks up the harmonium and violin, among other things, while Segers grabs the clarinet.
It’s a real joy to listen to a band with such an unusual lineup and approach for rock music. This is already their third album and every single one sounds different. The same goes for their later work. After this album, Denis dissolved the band and dragged in new members. I thought that would make the next record worse, but it turned out the opposite. The next album, Uzed, is their peak for me, and its style is again different from Ceux du Dehors. In that respect, Univers Zero is a lot like King Crimson.
Lineup
Michel Berckmans: bassoon, oboe, English horn
Daniel Denis: drums, percussion, harmonium (7)
Patrick Hanappier: viola, violin
Andy Kirk: harmonium, organ, piano, mellotron
Guy Segers: bass, clarinet (7)
Guests:
Jean Debefve: hurdy-gurdy (2, 5)
Jean-Luc Aime: violin (3)
Ilona Chale: vocals (4)
Thierry Zaboitzeff: cello (6)
Production
Univers Zero
Tracklist
1. Dense 12:26
2. La Corne du Bois des Pendus 8:42
3. Bonjour Chez Vous 3:52
4. Combat 12:53
5. La Musique d’Erich Zann 3:29
6. La Tête du Corbeau 3:11
7. Triomphe des Mouches 5:36
