Search - Magma :: La Trilogie Theusz Hamtaahk

Beautiful Inside And Out!!!

L. M. Gulick | Warrensburg, MO USA | 05/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had heard about this 3-CD boxed set from a couple of other reviewers, and I own the DVD of Magma performing "Theusz Hamtaahk" in its entirety at the Trianon; but this set is so wonderful, it's worth buying the same music twice!

For one thing, the sound is crystal-clear. My DVD was a bit "buzzy" in a couple of places, but there's none of that on these CDs. As with Magma's other live recordings, the lyrics are often more clearly heard than on their studio albums, and on "Wurdah Itah" in particular, the sound is fuller than on its studio counterpart. And there are some eerie vocal sound effects, particularly in "Theusz Hamtaahk" itself, that are actually more intense when you simply hear them as opposed to seeing them sung--you just cannot tell that the air raid siren you are hearing is really Stella and the other female singers! The "MDK" section is of course wonderful to hear, particularly since the final track (Kreuhn Kohrmahn iss deh hundin) isn't often performed in concert--most of the video performances of MDK I've seen stop with "Mekanik Kommandoh"--and this version is rather different from the album version in more ways than one! And they left in the part where everyone introduces each other, which I always liked from the DVD.

And the packaging itself is jaw-dropping to behold; the outer case has the logo in gold leaf, and the CDs are packaged in little individual cardboard sleeves, each of which uses the motif of one or more of the traditional "four elements"--fire for "Theusz Hamtaahk," water and greenery for "Wurdah Itah," and earth and air for "MDK." (The personnel listings on the sleeves also toss us another gift: Remember Aina, who so accurately reproduces Klaus Blasquiz' vocal stylings? Her real name is...-Julie Vander-!!!!) And there are two booklets included as well: one is a pictorial concert record, with a very brief French "libretto" by Christian Vander for each part of the trilogy; and the other--oh, joy!!!!--contains complete lyrics for the entire trilogy! (Of course, there are sections that are sung so quickly that you might get lost even with the words, but still--!!!)

So this is definitely an item every Magma fan should have in his or her collection. It's beautiful inside and out...who could ask for more?"