Halloween – Psy-KO

If a band comes out with an album with a title that, in addition to the word psycho, also stands for ending a fight because of a psychic knockout, that could already be a good indication for the music on that album. And nothing could be closer to the truth in this case, because the French band Halloween is back after a very long break of more than twenty years with a very unconventional album.

The line-up has changed dramatically because there is a new guitarist in the person of Cedric Monjour, a new singer named Geraldine le Cocq. On drums we hear Phillipe di Faostine and on bass Romain Troly. The connection with the past is keyboardist Gilles Coppin and the line-up is completed with violinist Jean Philippe Brun.

I consider myself a big fan of other French bands such as Nemo, Nine Skies or Apairys and have been seduced by enthusiastic stories and some samples to buy this album on CD. It is well known that French prog bands often make less slick music and often look for the edges of the genre, but that is often where the charm lies. However, where these bands stop, Halloween goes even further, much further. Before I write a review, I listen to the album in question several times and that was also the plan with Psy-KO. To be honest, I only partially succeeded. Why? For this album I really have to be in the mood and that is certainly not always. First of all, the music is excellent because technically all band members are great but it goes in all directions and the melody is sometimes hard to find. I immediately thought of Frank Zappa and the guitar playing is partly a reason for that. Geraldine's emotional and dramatic vocals are also something you have to love. Again, her voice is fine but sometimes she goes too far, at least for me.

Psy-KO is a double album, but both discs contain less than forty minutes of music consisting of four songs per disc. Opener Transe is immediately one of the better songs and is reasonably easy to follow. Heavy keys, fast guitar solos and emotional vocals are supported by a roaring rhythm section and in just under ten minutes you are already shaken up. Strange transitions and atypical melodies are interspersed with fairly easy to follow pieces. Guitarist Monjour is into shredding and lets his guitar make a lot of pace. However, there is no chance of recovering because Crise de Foi is on the program and in this track Brun's violin takes the leading role and that does not go smoothly. However, the keyboard parts are often the guideline because they are heavy but easy to follow. I said often, not always. The relatively short Plume de Plomb starts quite quietly with some ominous chords and Geraldine sings a melody line that doesn't seem to fit right away. The violin is again prominently present and towards the end the guitar is put to the foreground a bit more with opposing vocals. With more than fifteen minutes, Nostalgie is the long closing track of the first disc and we hear several sound fragments mixed together before an unruly rhythm is accompanied by strange guitar chords. Quite strange music with sometimes inimitable melody lines. Yet there are also very beautiful pieces in it, especially when Geraldine sings a bit quieter and the piano is used. A short, but beautiful, guitar solo leads us to a heavier piece with a wonderful melody. But just when it all gets too comfortable, a desperately talking Geraldine gives a monologue on a bed of quiet keys and violin. Memory loss and the resulting powerlessness and frustration are the subject and let the next song be called Frustration. Halloween shows here that they make quite unpredictable music with certainly room for beautiful quiet passages. The end is again quite heavy with heavy guitar chords and a high tempo. Gnomes is a pretty long song and falls under the category, too farfetched and deliberately uncomfortable. I had a hard time getting through it and the strange vocal lines don't help either. Drums and bass seem to lead a life of their own and the end is almost Circus-like. The conceptual story concludes with Cochon de Laid, a total cacophony of "vocals" and chaotic instrumentation. Yet there is another song on the album namely an ode to Stravinsky, Igor S. and the Slavic influences can be heard immediately. Geraldine sings in Russian and we sometimes hear opulent choirs. Monjour puts down another fast solo and at the end Coppin's piano is allowed to accompany Geraldine's last notes.

In case you hadn't already understood, this is a pretty abysmal album that will certainly not appeal to everyone but is very cleverly made. For me, the mood determines my judgment at that moment. This can range from 50 to 75 points so a decent average is the result. Sometimes beautiful sometimes too chaotic (for me at least). If you like a fierce musical adventure, experience it with these excellent musicians. Not for the faint hearted though.

Music 68

Cover 65