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Maldoror is named after a lengthy and very dark poem published in the mid 1800s, written by French Surrealist Lautréamont. A little Googling regarding Lautréamont's original work is enough to intrigue and incite the imagination (or possibly frighten you away entirely); understanding it and the French language may be keys to having a greater appreciation of the compositions on this CD. The lyrics are in French so something, surely, is lost to the listeners (such as myself) who are foreign-language-deprived.

However, there is plenty to appreciate about the album without knowing French or reading bizarre, disturbing poetry. There is no lack of talent here. The vocal harmonies are tight and the compositions varied in style. The guitar work stands out for me.

It is a prog rock album so it offers up plenty of starts and stops, mood changes, tempo changes, and lengthy instrumental wanderings.

I prefer the heavier bits. When the guitar player stomps on the distortion and cranks it up, the music starts to feel like Gentle Giant meets Emerson, Lake & Palmer. This is where I perk up.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of wading through lukewarm passages to get to these highlights. For my taste, a bit too much.

Jim Wormington 03/23/06