Magma Release New CD 'Félicité Thösz'

French Zeuhl band Magma has just released their newest CD, three years after their excellent "Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré". Already this new opus called 'Félicité Thösz' is getting rave reviews from lovers of this little known genre of progressive rock. It has garnered a 4.25 out of 5 rating on the ProgArchives site. Here is the press release:

One of music's most innovative and eclectic ensembles, Magma, has released a new CD titled 'Félicité Thösz' internationally on Seventh Records (June 2012). Having emerged unscathed from STAR WARS, don't just sit there waiting for the end of the world. Take a leap into the MAGMA universe and grab their new studio album which is not to be missed under any circumstances: a trip which will lead you from Japan to the Urals via Central Asia with a detour to pay homage to Tamla Motown. Already aired in concert under the title 'Felicite Thosz' and well-attended by legions of the band's fans, the piece is dominated by the celestial voice of Stella Vander and is a formidable mix of all the sonic colors which has made this cult band absolutely incatagorizable!

Magma was founded in Paris in 1969 by drummer Christian Vander, who derived his inspiration from a "vision of humanity's spiritual and ecological future" that profoundly disturbed him. Vander was a self-taught musician, who received some tips from drum legend Elvin Jones. In the course of Magma's first album, the band tells the story of a group of people fleeing a doomed Earth to settle on the planet Kobaïa. Later, conflict arises when the Kobaïans, who are descendants of the original colonists, encounter other Earth refugees. A distinguished aspect of Magma's music is that Vander actually invented a constucted language, Kobaïan, in which most lyrics are sung. Later albums told different stories set in more ancient times; however the Kobaïan language remained an integral part of the music. Reportedly, Christian Vander is also highly influenced by the work of jazz legend John Coltrane. "For my work, it is still Coltrane who actually gives me the real material to work on, to be able to move on.," says Vander.

Magma's new CDfeatures two pieces – the 28-minute title track 'Félicité Thösz', and a composition titled 'Les Hommes Sont Venus'. Both tracks were recorded between September 2011 and April 2012 in Francis Linon's new studio on the French Riviera. “I started working on this piece in 2001, right after I finished the exhausting recording of 'Les cygnes et les corbeaux',” explains Vander. “With 'Félicité', there was an immediate feeling of ease, the piece seemed to come to life, clear, under my fingers. True happiness beneath the complexity, the circumvolutions, the meanderings... the spires and the spirals of 'Les cygnes et les corbeaux'. There lies the color of Magma's great themes, and its quintessential spirit. One could say that the melodies have evolved, gained fluidity. The idea of renewal belongs to every civilization, celebrating beings, places, nature and gods. With the sounds, rites and traditions from various lands unfold. This theme offers a new aspect of Magma's music, a source that unleashes its power flow. I hope you enjoy listening to it.”

In other news, Magma will be the headline act for the Zappanale Festival in Germany on August 3^rdand Paris La Villette Jazz Festival on August 30^th.