Madelgaire - Goes To The Collegiale

Year of Release: 2002
Label: self-released
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 29:18:00

It's the belief in progressive rock by people like the folks at Spirit Of 66, Progrésiste and Prog-Nose which is the main factor for a sudden interest for prog in Belgium. Hot on the heels of Ken's Novel comes Madelgaire whose promo 4-track gives a good idea about the band's music and intentions.

Sporting both a singing drummer and a violinst, Madelgaire's music is mainly instrumental with a lot of attention for the perfect balance between the instruments. "Vae Victis," although sporting a straightforward rhythm, contains some VDGG and Genesis trademarks. The bombastic keyboards together with the Hackett-like guitar form a true wall-of-sound.

Ominous choir sounds and tubular bells introduce the medieval, folky feel of "Mad-El-Gher." When percussion steps in, the Moorish atmosphere takes over with the violin playing the role of the snakecharmer. The high pitched vocals of Pascal Rocteur in "Gimme A Light" remind me of the first singer of Machiavel. The build-up of the song is of a rather mediocre nature yet after about 4 minutes things start to change for the better, however I don't feel the band fully exploits the 11 minutes it is given here. The interaction between guitar and organ should be explored much more. The guitar in "Rackham-Das-Rote" hides behind thick curtains of keyboards way too long before it is given the possibility to shine in the second part of the song. No doubt there is potential in Madelgaire yet the band should compose some really catchy melodies first in order to fuse them with the material they already have. Only then will they be able to deliver the kind of statement they truly deserve.

Tracklisting:
Vae Victis (8:50) / Mad-El-Gher (5:11) / Gimme A Light (11:14) / Rackham-Das-Rote (3:53)

Musicians:
Christian Vanderwhale - bass Stéphane Letertre - guitars Pascal Rocteur - drums, vocals, percussion Patrice Chalon - keyboards Dominique Lossignol - violin, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Discography:
Goes To The Collegiale(demo) (2002)
Various Artists - A Taste Of Belgium (2006)
(Im)Patience (2010)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin BE

Added: September 29th 2002
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.madelgaire.be
Hits: 2879
Language: english