by Alissa Ordabai
– Sr. Columnist —
The most eccentric Rock act France has ever produced marks its 20th anniversary with a high-energy new release and a new attitude to boot. Unlike Mörglbl’s previous offerings which pitted Jazz and Metal against each other in a battle of muscle and wit, the record in hand opens a wholly new territory. Gone are the jittery contrasts of banging riffs and mazy Jazz solos, and what emerges instead are flawless soundscapes the band glides over like it has just been given a parachute.
Talking about banging riffs, they run aplenty on this record, but choose not to argue with melody, instead framing and accentuating the sprawling guitar leads — similar to how columns in architecture frame views. Guitarist Christophe Godin knows how to levitate over crystal clear melodic vistas but doesn’t believe in staying there for too long, as catchy hooks constantly beg to be released out of his magic bag of tricks. In fact, the band could have made millions selling addictive ear candy, but for better or for worse, straightforward songwriting never interested Godin, so he sends us off on an adventure after adventure across richly imagined panoramas of jazz, rock, and metal only he knows how to conjoin.
But for all of the dazzling and weird things that emerge when Godin fuses metal and jazz, you can tell he loves the sheer audacity of balls-to-the-wall rock’n’roll. There is plenty of dashing guitar virtuosity on these tracks, rousing classic rock solos, thrash riffs, and other delights any true rock fan will rejoice in. Wormholes into curious time signatures and other kookiness such as weird cartoon sounds make the journey less predictable and doubly enticing. At the time when rock begins to solidify into a formula, we need Mörglbl to shape-shift it into an eye-opening adventure it once used to be. The band turning 20 this year makes you glad this kind of cheery eccentricity stays in demand. Not only does it fly in the face of Corporate Rock, but gives courage to young people to follow their true passion.
Genre: Metal, Jazz, Rock, Jazz Fusion, Prog Rock
Band:
Christophe Godin – guitar
Ivan Rougny – bass
Aurel – drums
Track listing:
1. 2 Flics Amis Amish
2. Anarchytektür
3. Les Légions du Rhum
4. Dark Vädim
5. Döner Dörgazm
6. La Lèpre à Élise
7. Crime Minister
8. Panzer Kökötier
9. Prog Töllog
10. The Story of Scott Rötti
11. Cor à Cor
Label: Mörglbl
Online: https://morglblmusic.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(9 / 10)
