Notes
Halloween is an interesting French group that plays an elaborated and polished music, full of breaks and rhythm changes, with sumptuous instrumental developments. It is part from this trend of refined, lyrical, romantic and delicate Progressive rock. Now among the elders in the new generation, Halloween plays a dark, disturbing music with tense climates in the same vein as KING CRIMSON'S "Larks' Tongues in Aspic", or Peter HAMMILL's procrastination in VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR. Based on Jean-Philippe BRUN's fantastic violin rises and impressive keyboards parts, their music is built upon vibrating rises of tension which bring to an end made of sudden explosions. After two wonderful albums released in the late Eighties ("Part One" in 1988 and "Laz" in 1989), followed by a long silence, "Merlin" comes out in 1994, as a new concept album. Novelty is in season: A less dark music than before, less violent too, and more orchestrated. HALLOWEEN created a new kind of French theatral music, different from ANGE's well-known works, but surely as interesting ! A new fermale singer also comes in: the amazing Géraldine Le COCQ, with an outstanding and rare vocal range. "Merlin" is a true masterpiece mixing Progressive rock with classical music. "Silence... Au Dernier Rang !" was recorded in 1998. This album presents the band in an amazing shape, with a brand new formula (Violin, keyboards, female vocals, bass & guitars) and renewed versions. What's more, the listener can enjoy the VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR cover, "House With No Door". 2001, HALLOWEEN's odyssey ? The French band comes back that year with a brand new album called "Le Festin" a true Progressive rock candy full of black humour. The beginning of the Millennium needed a masterpiece... Now we have it !
