Rage

Rage is Philarmonie's fourth album and their third release for the label Cuneiform. The lineup is the same as on their previous effort, Nord: Frédéric L'Épee and Laurent Chalef on guitar, Bernard Ros on stick, and Jean-Louis Boutin on drums. As soon as "The Ultimate Herald" begins, it becomes clear the band underwent some stylistic changes. The Frippian cycling guitar lines are still there, but the rhythm section is much heavier. Rage is much more aggressive than its three predecessors. It rocks; "Ouigaa" could belong to a Djam Karet album. On the other hand, the band loses some depth in textures and arrangements. The slower numbers like "Thesis" and "Tropical Bourrée" can't compete with the inspiration found on Nord. Still, Rage is an honest album, but sandwiched between the stellar Nord and Philarmonie's swan song Le Dernier Mot (where "rockier" doesn't translate into "simpler" anymore), this one feels a little subpar. ~ François Couture, Rovi