# was magma the heaviest band outside metal



## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

Common french sensation , prog Kings Magma at time reach a level of intensity heavyness and power unmatch to this days, sure there is band like swans but who care magma is more musical to my hears.

*if i dig magma relentless martial heaviness than what op my alley...?*Than i remenber reading an article on magma , saying they were heavily influence by karl orff this is so true, than Stravinski(i agree) than Coltrane and jazz world so this band is an ultimate fusion of avant classical and jazz, so i guess these guys are genieous.

were there zeuhl band heavier than magma?

:tiphat:


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Saw a lot of Magma albums. Which is a good one to start off with?


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## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

albertfallickwang try trilogie au Trianon its a triple cd of live rendition and its is mandatory to have in your collection.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I used to be heavily into them back in the late '70s. I am sure I had a dozen albums. No exaggeration. The fake language that they invented for their music was too contrived, but I must have heard something in their music. The strange thing is, I cannot remember a thing about them... and I haven't cared since then. I guess I'll revisit them some day, when the urge compels.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

deprofundis said:


> albertfallickwang try trilogie au Trianon its a triple cd of live rendition and its is mandatory to have in your collection.


Thanks man. I love to explore more new music. Do you like Dream Theater?


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## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

yes albert there fine band nice guitarists too in this band


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Magma is the most powerful band I've ever seen. And I am also a prog-metal fan, so I know 'heavy'. They are just heavy and powerful in a different way than metal.

I saw them in 2000 in LA at the House of Blues, and at the end of their performance, my friend and I both looked at each other in astonishment that the band or the stage did not explode. It was like that could be the only thing more intense than the performance we just witnessed.

Here is a short clip from their 2004 CD 'KA' (maybe a good place to start for new listeners) performed in 2006 that, although does not do their power justice, gives a taste. The vocal melody that starts at about 1:26 is incredible.





But

*By the way, they are touring the US this April!* Already got my tix for the LA show at the Echoplex. Here's their schedule:

April 2 - Venue Nightclub - Vancouver, BC 
April 3 - Crocodile - Seattle, WA
April 4 - Aladdin Theater - Portland, OR
April 6 - Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
April 8 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
April 10 - Reggie's - Chicago, IL
April 11 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
April 13 - Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY

To the original OP, a Zeuhl band heavier than Magma? Not sure...

Eskaton - 4 Visions might be a good place to start. Even if you don't find them heavier, they are pretty comparable in quality.






Corima - Quetzalcoatl from my home town, LA. Great young band loaded with top quality misicians, with a stand out violinist.






Also worth exploring are:

Shub-Niggurath 
Amydala from Japan
Dun from France
Setna from France. Not as intense and powerful as Magma, but still top quality stuff. Some people hear a bit of 'Canturbery' in their music.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

brotagonist said:


> The fake language that they invented for their music was too contrived, but I must have heard something in their music.


Not all Zeuhl bands sing in 'Kobian'.

Eskaton sing in French, Corima sing in Spanish.

I would say the majority of them sing in their native tongue. So maybe explore some of the others.

Here's a list:

http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=11


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## padraic (Feb 26, 2015)

Love Magma, one of my favorite bands. Probably my favorite is the "Retrospektiw I-II" containing live versions of Theusz Hamtahk and MDK which are absolutely stunning.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

padraic said:


> Love Magma, one of my favorite bands. Probably my favorite is the "Retrospektiw I-II" containing live versions of Theusz Hamtahk and MDK which are absolutely stunning.


Are you familiar with the releases in the 2000's?

K.A. (2004), Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré (2009), Félicité Thösz 92012), Šlaǧ Tanƶ 92015) are pretty stunning.

Pretty close to their best of the 70's.


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## padraic (Feb 26, 2015)

Simon Moon said:


> Are you familiar with the releases in the 2000's?
> 
> K.A. (2004), Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré (2009), Félicité Thösz 92012), Šlaǧ Tanƶ 92015) are pretty stunning.
> 
> Pretty close to their best of the 70's.


Sure are - I've got all of them. And yes, the band had quite the renaissance, they've been as good in the past 10 years as they've been in the 70s. Fairly remarkable!


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## padraic (Feb 26, 2015)

Also, a really wild "zeuhl" band from Japan worth exploring is Koenjihyakkei.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Rachel Barton Pine who is a great classical violinst also has her own heavy metal band:

http://rock.rachelbartonpine.com/rec_cd.php?id=15


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