Enigma - Enigma 3: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.99 You Save: $7.95 (67%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.24 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Enigma 3: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!
Free Music Review: The best enigma CD since cross of changes.
Hit: 5 Stars
According to me This is enigma's best work in their 2nd stage. For me this is the best effort after the "cross of changes". Till date even after release of voyageur, this is the best CD in terms of musical ideas and content. This is the most balanced enigma CD. The best ever Enigma CD will be "Cross of changes". As always, I believe in full blooded reviews. At the expense of being verbose, here goes...
1)Le Roi est mort, vive le roi ! : Signature enigma tune which opens every CD with overlaid voice by Sandra. It feels like you are in a space center. Very futuristic.(5 stars)
2)Morphing thru time: Beautiful Aquatic feel. With a synthesizer playing a violin like swirling tune. Super track. (5 stars)
3)Third of its kind: filler, forget this. Enigma doesn't need to add these.. We'll buy their CD's even without the fillers. (no stars)
4)Beyond the invisible: Sandra's whispering and then a beautiful Celtic vocals like the kind which remind you of pre-medieval Ireland. And then you have Michael's singing too. And off course Gregorian monk-chanting makes its first appearance on this CD. Not as good as the mood evoked in "morphing thru time" which is a masterpiece.(4 stars).
5)WHY - Didn't like this much. Too much of Cretu's scratchy vocal. (2 stars)
6)Shadows in silence: great track. This is a Dolby type treble damped, quiet reflective track filled with the kind of ethnic vocals which remind you of the "return to innocence" and "eyes of truth" on the "cross of changes" CD. Beautiful stuff.(5 stars)
7)The child in us: This is the best track on the CD and my most favorite. I don't get why this track did not make it to the LSD-greatest hits collection. Its my most favorite track as it is sung in "Sanskrit" which is a the basic etymological root language from which most of the dialects of my country (India) come from. The Sanskrit verse sung here is actually a divine sloka/mantra/chant in praise of the Lord. Its so beautifully rendered with the smooth enigma sound: Monks chanting and synthesized flutes. Fantastic. (5 stars)
8)TNT for the Brain: The classic enigma track. This made it to the LSD greatest hits compilation. you have Beats on tabla "An Indian drum instrument played with open slapping palms". Then we have an aquatic hazy techno like synthesizer. And Cretu singing and Sandra does the whispering/talking. great track (5 stars)
9)Almost full moon: Sounds like Mickey mouse wailing with the only exception Mickey mouse has a cold.(2 stars)
10)The roundabout - Cretu's voice frequency meddled with sounds like almost reaching Phil Collins.(3 stars)
11) prism of life - Beautiful. Afro chants with nice church choir like singing in background.(4 stars)
12) Odyssey of the mind: filler, forget this.(no stars)
overall well balanced CD. More uppers, less downers.
Both thumbs up.
Free Music Review: Enigma 3- Vive Enigma!
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is just amazing. It takes you to another dimension. If you liked the previous 2 albums you are gonna love this. I believe it's the arguably the best Enigma album so far. They pick up all kind of flavours from the previous 2 albums and the result is a very diverse mix where no song is like the other. Michael Cretu proves his lyrical skills on several songs, we have the classic Gregorian Chants back and there are many songs that are just mysterious and fascinating that comes right into your soul.
What makes "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!"? It's simply wonderful to listen to it, the variety of chosen songs, the instruments chosen, the lyrics the sound the mysticism. You must hear it yourself to understand the feeling that Enigma songs gives you. The album starts with the usual introduction, which is short but good. "Morphing Thru Time" is where the Gregorian chants returns, Cretu himself start singing aswell somewhere in the middle of the songs and there are slow drum beats in the backround to make the feeling of passion immense. Listening to this song it I really feel like travelling thru time. "Third Of a Kind" is a short interlude. The next single is "Beyond the Invisible" which is a song i remember got some airplay back in late 1996. It's perhaps the most radio friendly song here but still very much ambient. We got voices echoing in the backround and Cretu singing the chorus with passion. A personal favorite. "Why" also got Cretu singing, it got the sound of slow drums in the back and Cretu literally screaming the chorus that's is echoing right after. Very beautiful and convincing. "Shadows in Silence" is the ambient meliodic songs I know many Enimga fans love. It's mysterious and beautiful at the same time. It probably inspired Dream Dance artists like Robert Miles and BT. "Child In Us" is sang in sanscrit, it proves courage from Cretu to continue his trend of expanding his music. "TNT for the Brain" is slow and sensual. "Almost Full Moon" is really a mystery. It's slow and beautiful and it got voices echoing in the back just like it was made sometime during the middle age. "Roundabout" is also sang by Cretu, it got faster drums then other songs and a fast chorus too. "Prism of Life" is a happy song apart from the rest. It got African chants and choirs backing them up while the last song is a obvious ending of the album.
Did you like previous Enimga albums? Check this one out, it's an amazin experience through time and diverse cultures mixed in one CD. It makes you relax your mind and at the same time it creates a wonderful feeling I can't describe. A must have for any music fan that can see the beauty of Ambient/New Wave songs.
Free Music Review: T.N.T. For The Brain
Hit: 5 Stars
Aside from hearing someone else's copy of 'The Screen Behind The Mirror', 'Love Sensuality Devotion' was my first album by Enigma. My actual introduction, however, was through the "Sadness" single. At the time I had never heard anything quite like it and I was simply blown-away with the Gregorian chanting amidst some infectious dance beats. By no means is Enigma considered mainstream but I have heard them on the radio before. Just like Delerium, they'll never receive top 40 airplay but they're more well-known than, say, B-Tribe or Sacred Spirit because of club-friendly remixes and the successful Pure Moods series, which caught the attention of some unlikely listeners. Their greatest hits compilation came out just as I was trying to decide which record of theirs to start with, and it turned out to be the perfect preface before launching my intent to gather their entire catalogue of works. Since I had a good feeling about it, I finally made up my mind and bought their third release, 'Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!' first and do not regret having done so. The eight new tracks (to me) that weren't included on 'LSD' are absolutely breathtaking and I'm astounded by how well the CD holds up as a whole. It must have been a difficult process to hand select their so-called 'best' songs because they're all amazing! I thought I had the best of the best already but now I'm more determined than ever to someday own everything Enigma's produced. This album flows at a beautiful pace and while the songs are hardly subtle, they're not quite as upbeat as some of their previous material. "Why! ..." is probably my favorite cut as Michael Cretu screams, but in a non-abrasive way, "I'm asking why!" amidst a lush, moody soundscape. I also love "The Roundabout", which is very Deep Forest-esque, as well as some old favorites, "Beyond The Invisible" and "T.N.T. For The Brain". They're truly all gems, though, and this is definitely worth your time and money so don't just settle with their singles.
Free Music Review: And Still, There Are Changes
Hit: 5 Stars
Stating that Michael Cretu's third Enigma work is breathtaking is putting it mildly. Flowing with the elements that made the project's first two albums a success - haunting gregorian and world-based chants, and Cretu's signature synthesized pan-flute sound - while still creating a whole new feeling.With its somewhat relaxed and personal feeling, E3 has been described by Michael Cretu as 'the offspring of the first two Enigma works'. And it truly is, as it incorporates what made the first two albums such a huge success, and elaborates on them. It is evident that Cretu has matured somewhat in his use of percussion, as the loud, sometimes overstated drums of E1 and E2 are not to be found in a large portion of the album.
Tracks that particularly stand out to this listen are as follows:
Track 2 - Morphing Thru Time: The first full-length track on the album. This song starts very subdued, and slowly builds into a symphony of beautiful sound. Cretu's voice is distorted, making it hard to understand what he's singing - but it's all part of the 'Enigma', as Cretu would say.
Track 4 - Beyond The Invisible: One of the two singles released for this album, this could be considered 'classic Enigma'. All of the trademarks are here - predominate world and religious chants, pan flutes, Sandra's lusty and passionate whispers, and Cretu's trademark distorted voice. A very solid track.
Track 10 - The Roundabout: This song was due to be released as a single, but was cancelled at the last moment when Virgin Germany decided there was not enough radio interest. Notwithstanding, this is an excellent, fast-paced track. Cretu's excellent chanting during the chorus is one of the few times he has left his voice undistorted in a song. Bravo!
This amazingly exquisite and personal journey of music should be remembered as one of pop's greatest triumphs. I encourage you to purchase this album, as I do not think you will be disappointed.
Free Music Review: Odyssey of the mind
Hit: 5 Stars
I think of all the Enigma albums (excluding their greatest hits and remix collection), "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" is my personal favorite album. The cd packaging alone is worthy of 4 stars. The transparency of the cd booklet and the pictures is not something I see nowadays. Musically, Enigma puts out the best new age/ambient music that there is. The music isn't ridiculously cheesy like Yanni or just plain cheesy like Enya (although I do enjoy her music a lot). I can hear the Enigma influences in a lot of Delerium's music, especially on their album "Semantic Spaces" as well as "Karma". The songs on "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" is so haunting, it sends chills down my spine. And judging by the song titles, (I think) this album is based on existentialism. I think Michael Cretu's best work as a vocalist shines through on "Beyond the Invisible". Listening to the song and his vocals sends me off on a journey on another plane of reality. The haunting aspect of the song makes "Beyond the Invisible" my personal favorite song off the album. And what is an Enigma album without the use of traditional Gregorian chants on "Morphing Thru Time"? "Why" is another favorite Enigma song of mine that reminds me to ask myself 'why I am here?" and other questions regarding existentialism. Sandra Cretu, Michael's wife, couldn't have sound any better than she did on this album although her vocals were primarily used for background vocals. I find "Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!" truly soothing and comforting to listen to. Listening to Enigma's music is another form of escapism from the ugliness of reality.