The Story Of Scott Rötti marks the seventh album for the French progressive jazz metal band Mörglbl. A band that started over twenty years ago as the Mörglbl Trio, led by guitarist Christophe Godin and bass player Ivan Rougny. In 2007, with the arrival of the new drummer Aurélien Ouzoulias, the band entered another musical level, but keeping the intentional musical path. Mörglbl plays a fine blend of progressive rock, metal and fusion, with a certain amount of humour embedded into their technical music. You could refer to Zappa, but that is more the musical atmosphere, due to the high quality technical parts combined with that excellent dose of humour I was writing about. Although the album cover and matching song titles show the element of humour in the band, the compositions tend to have a more serious touch than heard to on previous releases. Songs like Panzer Kökötier, La Lèpre À Elise or Döner Dörgazm still show the fun aspect of Mörglbl, but the band seems to focus more on strong instrumental rock songs, like Dark Vädim and Crime Minister, where we see the whole band interact and create splendid pieces of inventive music. Mostly the songs are rooted heavily in solid fusion, highlighting an occasional progressive element. With the album's little bit more serious touch, I think Ivan Rougny's bass playing seems to have become more pronounced. Aurélien Ouzoulias is an incredible drummer, who is both steady and solid as well as challenging his fellow band members to catch up with him, musical wise. But It's still guitarist Christopher Godin who draws the attention; however good both Ivan and Aurélien are, Christopher is one of the most exceptional guitarists I have ever heard. From metal to jazz, he knows how to make things sound interesting and more; retaining his recognizable sound. Listen to the album's title track The Story Of Scott Rötti and the aforementioned blend of Zappa type humour and solid craftsmanship jus pops right out of the little shiny disc. Mörglbl continues to produce intelligent, technical compositions and I can't really pick a favourite album, but after several spins, The Story Of Scott Rötti I think this album is as good as all their previous albums, I just love to listen to this wonderful musical trio. Finishing with a Zappa quote: “Does Humour Belong In Music?” Yep; Cor À Cor proves it. ****+ Pedro Bekkers (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
