Customer Reviews

Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh

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Trying to describe this album, and French band Magma's music in general seems like a painful exercise in futility. Sure, you can use such terms as weird, imaginative, skewed and/or certain colloquialisms of your choosing, but somehow words fail miserably when trying to convey to someone in exact terms what this music sounds like, and the effect it will have on you upon listening. To end any possible confusion - momentarily at least - I think this album is absolutely brilliant and one of a kind on so many levels.

First off, as mentioned a few times, Magma's music is highly conceptual, and is based around citizens from a planet called Kobaia. It also should be mentioned that in order to tell this story - which ran from their debut album, and continued through several more - drummer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/conceptualist/bandleader Christian Vander invented his own language called Kobaian. Yes, folks - silly and far-fetched as that may sound - it's the truth. And to add more confusion (and/or fun/intrigue) to things, there are no translations made available anywhere (as far as I know): there certainly are no lyric translations in the sleeves. A personal observation that I have made is that when looking at Magma's album titles and song titles - which are written in Kobaian as well - they share a similarity to the German language. The Kobaian words look a bit like German, and when hearing them sung and spoken, they sound a bit German as well. Now, if you are a reader stumbling upon this review, and just happen to be fluent in German, don't take my words for granted: reading and/or hearing these words, and thinking that you can translate these seemingly Germanesque lyrics will probably lead you to a brick wall. (I'm not fluent in German at all, so if you try this 'translation' technique, don't say I didn't warn you if you are led to a dead-end.)

So, what does this music sound like? This is quite a frustrating process, but I'll give it a whirl anyway. I suppose comparisons are somewhat appropriate between Magma and rock artists like Frank Zappa, Gentle Giant and maybe a little bit of King Crimson and the like - but rest assured, Magma sound absolutely nothing like either of these bands, and are self-consciously weak attempts at a quick comparison. None can really be made here. In fact, I'm more inclined to say that Magma (at least on this particular outing) seem to share more similarities with classical composers - particularly Orff and Wagner.

For starters, the key that is predominantly used in this epic is D (or D minor). Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" cantata is predominate in this key as well - at least in the 'O Fortuna' section that many are familiar with, and is probably the basis for the frequent Magma/Orff comparisons. Secondly, the vocal chants used here are definitely akin to the vocal chants from aforementioned piece - melodically and rhythmically. Third, and maybe more importantly, some of the awkward, snaky rhythmics that are used here definitely - almost eerily - parallel those from certain parts of Orff's epic. In particular - listen to the 'Uf Dem Anger: Tanz' section of Orff's epic. Listen to those cerebral, angular rhythms, and you'll definitely be going "Oh yeah, now I see why everyone compares this to "Carmina Burana." For the Wagner comparisons, these may be a bit more relevant, or superficial, depending on the listener. The conceptual ideas can be attributed to Wagner. But, not only that, some of those Germanesque, majestic, regal vocal mannerisms seem like they could have been lifted from Wagner's "Lohengrin" - particularly the closing section of Act I featuring those massive, powerful choral voices. However, the choral mannerisms that pervade this disc are nowhere near as grand or massive as those from Orff or Wagner, but nevertheless, the connections can be spotted.

1973's _Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh_ is the third part of a conceptual trilogy consisting of _Theusz Hamttaahk_, the first part (only available on select live Magma discs) and 1974's _Wurdah Itah_, the second part (not available on Amazon during the time of this writing.) The music on here is a delicious, spellbinding, majestic, highly original fusion of brassy arrangements, choral chants, rock and theater. This music here is definitely akin to something out of a theater production - albeit strange. Transcendent, orgasmic and ecstasy-inducing even - the tasteful melodies and ideas never let up for a minute - continuously progressing from one tasteful idea to another, playing on your jugular until it swells up, and finally explodes from over-excitement. Repetitive textures are present, which at times obscure the underlying harmonic currents. Odd time signature are present (7s, 9s, 13s) and tasteful percussion abound, with shifting accents here and there. Klaus Blasquiz (or whomever it is) display these beautiful, and utterly frightening upper-register vocals that seem inhuman (I mean that as close to literally as possible) - going from exotic, elegant Europeanesque wailing to frightening and explosive grunts. This review was very long. If you have any interest in highly original, brilliant and inimitable music, grab this one if you can. It's a wonder it's so hard to come by - it's truly one of a kind.

Up front, anyone who is newly interested in Magma has to accept their schtick: they were (and are still, it seems) an ongoing French `70's concept group that wrote jazz-fusion albums about people traveling to other planets and back and the social interaction of those people. As I understand it, "Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh" is part of a trilogy that deals with a religion/messiah that develops within this fictional society. Not that I would really know for sure, because all the lyrics are sung in a language called "Kobian", the native language of these fictional space travelers that lead singer/conceptualist Christian Vander created for the project.

If the potential for pretentiousness inherent in this concept does not bother you, read on.

Vander has headed up the Magma project in much the same way that Robert Fripp heads up King Crimson. He is the principal composer and conceptualist. To say that Vander's vocal approach is unique is an understatement. He generally sings in a squeezed-out falsetto that initially sounds like a demented female opera singer a la Diamanda Galas. On the first few listens, I thought the vocals were performed by a female member of his large and varied ensemble. However, a concentrated listen revealed him dropping in and out of this range to emotional, electrifying, and sometimes disturbing effect.

In addition to the bizarre vocal and lyric approach, Magma (as it is realized on "Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh", anyhow) boasts an aggressive jazz-rock instrumentation augmented by a small choir and wind sections. The best reference that I can come up with to describe Magma's sound on "Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh" is "Frank Zappa writes a Klingon Opera". Seriously. It brings to mind what Frank was doing (with a sly smile, I might add) on "The Grand Wazoo". The instrumentation seems to be similar to what Zappa's ensemble looked like in the late '70's and early '80's. In addition to the similarity in the soundscape, compositional comparisons are not totally inappropriate. Frank Zappa's interest in Egard Varese gave a distinct rhythmic and percussive quailty to even his "straight-ahead jazz" albums. As Vander is a percussionist himself, this texure pervades his compositions as well. After building tension over extended ostinato passages (which might map to Frank's guitar solo sections), Magma's music will explode into rhythmically complex, harmonically dissonant, and melodically angular textures.

Virtuosic musicianship and compositional strength notwithstanding, I think it is actually the bizarre and alien nature of "Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh" that makes it convincing and interesting. For example, take into account that all the lyrics are written in a language that the listener is in no way supposed to understand. We are meant to listen to Magma's music as an outside observer of the fictional Kobian society. We are given the opportunity to imagine an entire culture given just a few conceptual hints and a tome of music. Without really understanding the exact cognitive meaning of the lyrics, one can draw many fascinating and imaginative ideas about what the Kobian "culture" is like.

It should also be stated that Magma inspired a whole new genre of "progressive" rock that came to be called "zeuhl", which very generally blends jazz, blues, and 20th century art music. This is considered to be one of that style's most representative works. Bizarre and challenging as it is, it's a very influential recording in some circles.

The Lowdown: No amount of research on the internet or suggestions from my musician friends could have really prepared me for what this jewel case held. Magma's soundscape is fascinating and compelling, but is inarguably an aquired taste, to say the least. You will not get any chicks listening to them. Its definitely a private time listen, but an exciting and challenging one. I have found that it is an amazingly digestible listen once you suspend disbelief enough to see its finer points

On a side note, I'm finding that one of the great things about Amazon is that if they can't get ahold on something, they probably know someone who can. I purchased my copy of "Mekanik Destructiw Kommandoh" as an import through cdquest.com, an Amazon import affiliate, and it really was not too much different than buying from Amazon directly. Don't be afraid to try it if you haven't.

This album by the large prog/jazz/rock/classical/futuristic group Magma really goes way beyond any definition of 'rock' as most people know it. The group is led by Christian Vander, drummer, who also doubles on organ and vocals on this release. Vander is also the composer for the group, and what he does, I think, goes way off the 'rock' map, incorporating elements of composers such as Bartok, Janacek, Orff along with a very hefty dose of jazz (Vander is an admitted Coltrane devotee), and lots of science-fiction. The final part in a trilogy of albums, this work depicts the destruction and salvation of mankind after their war with a race of exiled humans, the Kobaians. The work, in fact, is sung entirely in Vander's constructed Kobian language, which only adds to the extreme otherworldly atmosphere of this piece. But when I say 'otherworldly' here, don't buy this expecting Tangerine Dream or some such; Magma's work is primal, heavy, harmonically dense, reminding one a lot of the harsher and more pounding sections of a work such as Orff's "Carmina Burana". Definitely music that's in a class all its own.

This is a quite extraordinary work, unlike anything else in the rock world, but with a certain debt to Orff's 'Carmina Burana'. It has been said that Magma were primarily a live band, and that no album did them justice. But I saw them in 1974, and this album is a pretty accurate representation. Vander's drumming, Jannik Top's thumping bass, and Klaus Blasquiz's Arthur Brown-like chanting, combine to make this the summit of Magma's achievement. I have spent many dollars over the years trying to find another Magma album that is anything like as good as this one. Sadly I haven't found one. My brother & I listened incessantly to this LP when I first got it -- so much so that we knew all the lyrics, even though they were in the invented Kobaian language.

1973/74 was an incredible period for Christian Vander's band. Listening again to the recurrent themes in Magma's output -- MDK, BBC Londres 1974, Kohntarkosz and Wurdah Itah -- it seems to me that you needed to understand the plot and dramatic situation of each scene to fully appreciate Vander's concept. Vander did not make the listener's task any easier by inventing a language to make everything just that little more obscure. Quite how filmmaker Luc Besson plans to render the Theusz Hamtaak trilogy on-screen for a planned 2004 release, we can only guess.

But MDK is the one Magma album where you don't need to understand the plot to appreciate the music. With other Magma albums you feel that there just isn't enough musical variety to sustain your interest, although sometimes the band abandons a really great groove too early. MDK is more choral and more brassy than other Magma albums -- a sort of extended prog-rock version of the 'O Fortuna' motif from Orff's Carmina Burana. But there is so much variety in MDK that you'll never tire of it before you've memorised every silly Vanderese lyric.

Magma is not an easy band to describe to people. in fact, i feel like the term "band" is not adequate and is misleading. the same goes for labels and genres like "prog" or "fusion." sure, there are plenty of those styles represented within Magma's core sound; and their influences are easily felt in their music. but Magma, to me, are a force...a gigantic, almost monsterous presence that cannot be ignored. their sound is huge and massive, filled with moments of terror and beauty. stark minimal rhythms give way to colourful audio explosions, drenched with harmonious voices and thundering bass and guitar. and the drums...wow. well, the drumming is just brilliant. this French group has enjoyed legendary status for decades, and has been highly influential (spawing many Zuehl obsessed bands...Ruins, Guapo, The Flying Luttenbachers...just to name a few), but yet their overall appeal is quite limited. probably due in no small part to their choice of language to sing in (a language called Kobian, which Christian Vander, drummer and mastermind behind Magma, has invented in order to explain the concepts behind his group's music and lyrical stance). there pieces are long and full of complexities and brilliant twists and turns...dark, treacherous, disonant avant-prog with intense crescendoes that bubble and boil with an electrifying power and joy that is both familiar and strangely alien to the senses.

Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh is a dark, sprawling march into abyssmal terrain. playing out more like a mini rock concerto than a proper album, MDK unravels at a slow pace, with a steady, rolling drum that keeps the affair tight with a restrained hold. as it progresses, the sound slowly gathers other elements and ideas and it begins to take on a savage form. a morphing takes place and before you know it, you've joined in line with the others in this hypnotic march. Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh is more than an album, more than a rock concerto, it's an event!

Layers of Keyboards, brass instruments, drums, guitars, and what seems like a huge number of singers, create a science fiction larger than life rock opera about about the future colonization of the planet Kobia. All sung in the invented language of Kobian, of course! Complex vocal lines, polyrhythms, fast melodies and counter melodies, and a giant rhythm section brings chills of joy to the open minded music lover. You don't have to like science fiction to enjoy this album, but you do have to have openness to unusual musical expressions!

A perfect album ! It takes you to an obscure planet surrounded by myths and legends, dark caves and odd creatures. Very precise instruments, excellent chorus, incredible rythm variations. It's hard to talk about MDK, it has no definitions... Most sensational Vander's composition. Pay attention to the vocals and brass instruments technics. It's about 35 minutes of very intense opera-futuristic-prog-rock. Ima suri dondai (2) and Da Zeuhl Wortz Mekanik (4) are rare and intense songs... Listen it now !!!

Well, I heard that Magma had some pretty good music that was different. I was sure in for a surprize! Was it ever different. This album is only for those with an open mind for music, but if you accually found this album you probably know you're in for a good ride. This album sounds like one long song, with lots of words that are not words at all, just random singing.

Lots of chiming sounds and steady saxophone madness along with almost constant singing and lots of other instruments I cannot identify, I have to tell you, the only way to experience this album is to listen to it yourself! Ready for an adventure to the world of Magma and Kobaļa?

I fell into Christian Vander's Universe in 1976 when I bought UDU WUDU. I fell in love with this music, which says so much more in a language no one really speaks! I bought all the LP's and played them continuously. And to listen to them today you hear every scratch and pop.

When I finally broke down and bought a CD player ( I held out until 1990!) I wanted to get CD's of all my favorites, and all througout the 90's Magma's music was not available (or I just wasn't looking in the right place).

Well recently I was able to get Udu Wudu, Spiritual, and Live, so I held on and finallly just before Christmas, my wish came true. And it arrived the day after Christmas....Thank you!