Godzilla is second effort from the French band Audio'm, after their eponymous debut album from six years ago. I discovered that this new album contains only one track, the epic title track, close to 44 minutes, that is Old School two sides of vinly, haha. The mega-epic composition Godzilla delivers typical Seventies symphonic rock (strong hints from Genesis, Yes and Ange) featuring cascades of shifting moods, from mellow with twanging acoustic guitars and sumptuous outbursts with majestic Mellotron choirs to jazzy or fiery guitar work and mid-tempo accellaration with synthesizer flights. The melodic and harmonic music is layered with the unsurpassed Mellotron, especially the choir-section, I love it! The final 15 minutes are the best moments of the band and showcase their potential. First a bombastic eruption with Mellotron choirs and high pitched theatrical vocals, followed by a moving guitar solo with Mellotron choirs, goose bumps! And then a mid-tempo beat with Mellotron choirs, fiery guitar, propulsive drum beats, fluent synthesizer runs and again theatrical vocals, what an exciting atmosphere! A special word about the vocals, to me female singer Emmanuelle Olmo-Cayuela sounds like a theatrical and high-pitched version of Jon Anderson, in the French vocal tradition of Ange, but at some moments a bit over-the-top. If you are up to these vocals there is plenty to enjoy for Old School symphonic rock fans, especially for Tron-maniacs like me! ***+ Erik Neuteboom (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
