Peel back the membrane of dogma and delusion that ideologically blinkered critics continue to cast over progressive rock 20+ years on from punk's heyday, and you might find yourself startled. For every prosaic hack constructing cathedrals of Velveeta, every Camel, Renaissance or Rick Wakeman enacting King Arthur's legend on ice, there was a Magma, Henry Cow or Soft Machine, radically reconfiguring rock into an impossible and impossibly odd meta-language.
Along with an eccentric canturbury-ish axis that extends from Cos to Aksak Maboul to The Honeymoon Killers, Belgium's primary contributions to this radical trajectory of the progressive rock canon were Univers Zero and its eventual offshoot Present, twin blacklight beacons along one of rock's gloomiest highways.
Formed by guitarist Roger Trigaux in 1980 upon exiting Univers Zero, Present confined the Lovecraftian vibes and Stravinsky-cum-Henry Cow stylisms of his former band into a scaled back lineup of guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. The results were as obsessive, meticulous and iconoclastic as King Crimson on Lark's Tongues In Aspic.
Now, 18 years on and abetted by the original Univers Zero rhythm section of Daniel Denis and Guy Segers, these avatars of an anguished, angular muse have unleashed their ultimate tour de force. Notably more furious and urgent than on any of their four previous releases, tracks like "Delusions" and "May Day" nimbly counterpoint Trigaux's pained guitar flailing against a thrilling, almost martial rhythmic foundation.
Brooding like King Crimson On Red, grooving and cascading like Magma on Udu Wudu's "Ork Sun," and tensely lurching like Sweden's Ur Kaos, this is a turbulent masterpiece that leaves a residue of angst lingering long after it ends.
(Originally published in Alternative Press #121, p.106; reprinted by
permission)
Present was founded by Roger Trigaux, ex-guitarist of the Belgian band Univers Zero. Unsurpringly the music shows similarities to Univers Zero. Present's music is characterized by percussive piano playing; howling, sustained guitar leads (reminisecent of Robert Fripp or Richard Pinhas); and interesting rhythmic developments with lots of counterpoint. While the neo-classical elements that characterize Univers Zero and Art Zoyd can be heard as well, Present has more of a rock attitude because of the prominent role for electric guitar and the lack of classical instruments (violin, oboe, basoon, etc.). I have four albums by Present: Triskaidekaphobie, Le Poison Qui Rend Fou, Certitudes and No. 6.
The first two albums Triskaidekaphobie and Le Poison Qui Rend
Fou are both masterpieces of dark, brooding, avant-garde rock.
Personally, I think that Le Poison Qui Rend Fou is a slightly more
varied and inspired effort, but both albums are highly recommended.
Certitudes may be a bit more accessible and features a lot more
vocals, but somehow feels like a failed experiment. While not a bad album,
it lacks the spark of the earlier albums. No. 6 consolidates their
signature style of fierce, neo-classical inspired avant-garde rock, but once
more the album isn't able to hold my interest as well as the earlier albums.
Vocals have been reduced significantly. Good album, but not a masterpiece.
There are a few more albums by Present including some with live material. I
remember them being not as good as the four discussed above, but especially
the ferocious Live is another fine album. Still I didn't consider it
interesting enough (yet) for a purchase. Start with the great 2 LP-on-1 CD
package of Triskaidekaphobie/Le poison Qui Rend Fou on the Cuneiform
label.
