h e a t h e r

Take a whole bunch of Fripp-style guitar circa the Starless and Bible Black album, mix it with electronic, near-industrial soundscapes, and you have Stand By. This is pretty alien stuff. Basically each piece relies on spacy, sci-fi analog keyboards that alternate between monolithic repetition of patterns, and eerie echoes, screeches, and skronks. The guitar accompaniment is either "Fracture"-like creepy-crawly tension/structure, or "Starless and Bible Black" style howling chaos. Drums are somewhat intermittent; sometimes a martial aggressive drum beat drives things into semi-industrial mode, and other times the drums are nearly non-existent, letting the keyboards and guitars drift off into outer space. The textures here are pretty intriguing. The guitars have a grainy, crunchy, jagged sound that suits the style well. The keyboards all have a cold, echo-y, overly electronic sound to them (as opposed to mimicking a natural sound); they always remind me of the soundtrack to a science fiction movie from the 70s. Maybe the music would fit with "Black Hole" or "Tron" or something like that... The good thing is that Heldon can capture that KC/Fripp guitar pretty well; the downside is that it will never compare to the splendor of the real thing (for me, anyway). However, Heldon is no KC rip-off; they just take an element of that style, and apply it to something new. King Crimson fans might like this, as well as anybody that enjoys the electronic side of prog. This might even appeal to those that also enjoy modern trance, techno, and industrial music. Also, some Magma members are present as well! All in all, Stand By is a very interesting CD. It is worth checking out if you want to feast your ears on something different. review by Heather Mackenzie — undated —

j o e

Stand By is the final Heldon album, fully ensconced in the serrated, industrial edge perfected by the band over their last albums. Unfortunately, it also seems to be a case of parts in search of a sum. For each track, we are presented with an exposition of different themes, that segue one into the other, but never really with a bigger picture in sight. The title track is pretty glaring in this regard, a balloon being continually filled with air and deflated. We are given a terrific opening teaser of descending notes and building aggression, only to have this peter out into a slow jam where Pinhas merely solos and solos and solos. After several minutes of this disappointing turn, Auger's terrific drum work again locks into gear with an uptempo beat. However, this as well ends up dwindling into a cul-de-sac of additional Pinhas soloing against another slow backdrop of proto-grunge. The middle piece, by Gauthier, is perhaps the most enjoyable here, though it too is a patchwork of musical vignettes. What is interesting is to consider that around this time Gauthier was also involved with Magma spin-off Weidorje. Though Weidorje's fusion sound was almost entirely different from that of Heldon, compare Gauthier's "Vilna" on that album, with its obsessively repeated patterns manually played on Fender Rhodes, to this track where patterns are obsessively repeated via minimoog sequencing. Closing the album is a side-long suite, with more sequencing episodes reminiscent of Tangerine Dream, overlaid with hornet's nest guitar work from Pinhas. Sadly, the themes are lackluster and not really interesting enough to rally the listener's attention. Reading the above might convey that I think this is a horrible album, which is not true. More accurately, I feel it's an anticlimactic one relative to some of the band's previous moments. review by Joe McGlinchey — undated —

g a r y n

I first investigated this band because someone told me that if I liked King Crimson, I should check out Heldon. "He's the French Fripp", I was told, as if Heldon was a guy's name. While Richard Pinhas' admiration for Fripp is exemplified by his early use of Fripp's tone and his many acknowledging tips of the hat (including a song on Heldon II called "In the Wake of King Fripp"), the music of Heldon and the music of King Crimson aren't that similar at all. A subtle similarity between the two bands I've recently realized is that both bands initially released seven studio albums, with the first four being with shifting line-ups centered around 'the man', the music being of only mild abrasion, and the last 3 being much more abrasive and formed around a set trio, with fringe members on each one. If I was going to recommend Heldon to anyone - King Crimson fan or not - I'd at least advise that you start with their last release and work your way backward. Stand By, Heldon's seventh and final release, blends Pinhas' electronics and much more developed guitar style, Auger's percussive ability, Gauthier's ivory chops and Batard's heavy low-end to create a masterful exclamation point to this band's recording career. The title track dispenses a riff attack unparalleled in prog, with such furious energy that when its over you won't believe it just happened. Gauthier's short piece is brilliantly haunting, centering around various keyboards and making use of Blasquiz's trademark shrieks, while also bringing out Pinhas' electronic prowess and allowing Auger and Batard to pull out all the stops. To finish it off, the LP-side long "Bolero" is a Tangerine Dreamscape so multi-dimensional it only took a little drugs to actually 'see' the notes and beats, and only a little more to actually climb around in them like an electronic jungle gym. The dynamic presented by each core member's contribution in writing ability and musicianship to this album is astounding. For those who like fluff, stay clear, but if you like an edge to the progressive experiment, and like to be threatened by the music you listen to, look no further. review by Gary Niederhoff — undated —