Le festin

Le Festin (The Feast) is French progressive rock group Halloween's first studio album in eight years. The lineup has been slightly altered since the 1998 live CD Silence au Dernier Rang: core members Jean-Philippe Brun (violin, vocals), Gilles Coppin (keyboards), and Philippe Di Faostino (drums) are joined by an impressive new guitarist Stéphane Kérihuel, who brings a sharper edge to the band's sound. Female singer Géraldine Le Cocq bailed out after the live album, but she still sings on five of the eight tracks (as a "very very special guest"). Not a concept album, Le Festin presents a batch of typical Halloween songs, a progressive rock strongly influenced by Genesis, Van Der Graaf Generator, and Ange, with the addition of violin as a lead instrument (which strongly recalls, along with the male vocals, the Quebecois group Indiscipline. The ten-minute "Schéhérazade" turns out to be too long, its initial idea (a prog rock/Iranian music fusion) getting stretched beyond acceptable limits. "Araignée" ("Spider") is a perfect example of Halloween's cute side: Le Cocq sounds like she's singing a nursery rhyme. Brun will never be able to make listeners forget Le Cocq's distinctive charm, but his work on "Le Retour du Bouffon" (where listeners are told to "Mind the clone") is enjoyable. Only one song doesn't make the band's average: "Le Festin" tries to be too complex for its own good, losing its cohesion — and it becomes clear from her pale delivery that Le Cocq does not believe in the lyrics. A nice but transitional album, Le Festin will please the fans, but newcomers should begin with Silence au Dernier Rang. The booklet contains English translations of all French lyrics. ~ François Couture, Rovi