01	L'hymne Medieval						03:16
	02	Le Baladin Du Temps						11:10
	03	Musiciens-Magiciens						03:49
	04	Au-Dela Des Ecrans De Cristal						05:31
	05	Le Secret Du Mage						02:58
	06	Le Berger						03:49
	07	Je Suis D'ailleurs						08:04
	08	Au-Dela Des Ecrans De Cristal (Live)						04:31
	09	Fille De Neige (Live)						06:47
	10	Je Fais Un Reve (Live)						03:34
	11	Musiciens-Magiciens (Live)						04:41

Atoll [France]
Updated 6/21/00

Musiciens Magiciens (74), L'Araignee Mal (75), Tertio (77), Rock Puzzle (79), L'Ocean (89), Tokyo, C'est Fini-Live (90)

One of my favorite symphonic progressive bands is the band Atoll. Creating a music that owed much to Yes and Genesis, yet again remaining distinctly French, Atoll were a talented ensemble who showed a finesse with dynamic and melodic arrangements. Their debut Musiciens-Magiciens is an excellent example of their music, rich in synthesizer textures and dynamic rhythms and featuring another strong French vocal presence - Andre Balzer. 1975 featured L'Araignee-Mal, a concept album which added a good violin player and moved a little toward fusion realms, while remaining distinctly symphonic. Maybe the one most of you would like best is their third Tertio. Probably the closest album France had to a Yes album, the fusion direction was substantially altered and a lusher sound enveloped. Tertio is a startling display of symphonic rock and the album's best cut "Tunnel," a veritable menagerie of key and time changes, gives no better indication as to this. Atoll's fourth Rock Puzzle while also good moved closer to a more commercial style of prog rock, with shorter songs with verses and choruses. After a complilation Cosmic Trips Atoll "reformed" in the late 80's with a completely different line-up, only featuring Christian Beya (who joined on L'Araignee-Mal) from the 70's line-up. Two albums followed both being a Japanese-styled neo-progressive (and highly pop-oriented) that are poor successors to their 70's releases. (L'Ocean and Tokyo C'est Fini a live album.) -- Mike McLatchey

Atoll was one of the best known French prog bands, they had several albums to their credit. Their sound is a little more agressive than other frenchies of the period like Ange and Pulsar, with pretty much a style of their own. Their singer tends to get annoying, though, which is why their best albums are the ones where they stretch out instrumentally the most and are not confined to the song format: L'Araignee and Tertio are clearly their best. They reformed in the late 80's (with only guitarist Christian Beya from the original band lineup) and released two more albums: L'Ocean and Tokyo, C'est Fini-Live. I have L'Ocean and it's not that hot.

The two pieces from Musiciens Magiciens were wonderful. If you like Close to the Edge-era Yes, you will like this album. My only complaint is that the drums were recorded too weakly in some sections of "Le Baladin...." The second tune, "Au Dela...," has some similarities to Nektar's Recycled, but only good similarities. (I'm not a big Nektar fan myself.) I'm going to buy this album. The two pieces from Tertio were less impressive. The band's sound has changed here. If you close your eyes and ignore the singing, you could easily mistake this album for Camel (circa Nude). The music is not as dynamic as the tunes from Musiciens Magiciens, but not bad.

Atoll's beginning's can be traced back to February 1972 when Luc Serra and Jean Luc Thillot pulled out their acoustic guitars and played while riding on a train from Paris to their home town of Metz, France. Along for the ride was Alain Gozzo, who would become Atoll's drummer. By the time the band were ready to record their first album, they had added Andre Balzar on vocals and Michel Taillet on keyboards, vibes, percussion and backing vocals. Thillot switched to bass but also occasionally contributed 12-string guitar as well as backing vocals. The quintet released Musiciens-Magiciens in November 1974, which included guest flute and sax played by Laurent Gianez. Luc Serra's guitar solo on "Le Berger" could have come from a Buffalo Springfield album, and the vocals also occasionally recalled the California country-rock style, one of the band's early passions. Even so, the progressive elements were obvious as these songs were more evolved and intricate than standard CSN&Y fare. Atoll, in true progressive rock style, also wrote a three-part, eleven minute composition called "Le Baladin du Temps." The style of the song lands somewhere between the complexity of Yes and the dramatic style of Ange. With the opening theme, a middle development and exposition, and a reprise of the main theme, Atoll revealed themselves to be serious and talented musicians who only needed a little polish to take off off the rough edges. Perhaps the song that best reveals the young band's talent is "Je Suis D'Ailleurs," with it's many fluid transitions among several complex themes and variations.
After Musiciens-Magiciens was released, the band went through personnel changes that ultimately strengthened the band. Serra was replaced by guitarist Christian Beya. Atoll also wanted to add further depth and color to their sound, so added Richard Aubert on violin. Stylistically, Atoll shifted toward a more aggressive fusion direction, highlighting the interplay between Beya, Aubert and Taillet. Atoll released their second album, L'Araignee-Mal in December, 1975. L'Araignee-Mal (The Evil Spider) is a stunning concept album, with a tight and well-defined style. The album's opener, "Le Photographie Exorciste," still reveals Yes's influence, as the ending creates a dense, battle-like atmosphere reminiscent of "Relayer." The fusion aspect is strongest, however, and "Cozotte N.1" and "Le Voleur D'extase" evoke Mahavishnu Orchestra circa Visions of the Emerald Beyond, with dizzying duels between guitar, synth and violin. Despite the "evil" or "bad" thread that unites the album, the music is actually very melodic, uplifting and expressively dramatic. Nowhere is this more evident than the side long title suite. Voracious violin, gutsy guitar, and searing synth work meld to create a mind-blowing blend of fusion and symphonic prog. Not to be outdone by the other musicians is Gozzo, who rose to a much higher talent plateau with these recordings. His drumming, against Thillot's excellent bass work, is formidable. In my mind, L'Araignee Mal stands as the pinnacle of Atoll's work and is an essential for any prog collection.
Somewhat to their detriment, Atoll decided to head in a symphonic direction and asked Aubert to leave the band. Gone then were the depth and color added by his violin, the very reasons they asked him to join in the first place! Tertio was released in October 1977 and, although the funk fusion groove occasionally reared its head, the music was definitely more symphonic. From the Wakemen-like synth break in "Les Dieux Meme" to the overall Yes-like theme that opens "Gae Lowe (Le Duel)," the comparison to Yes is never far away. In addition to the change in style, Atoll's compositions became more concise, with most songs in the five minute range, although "Tunnel Part I" and "Tunnel Part II" combine to a total of nearly 14 minutes. And, to further define the change, the driving power of the fusion engine was replaced with more intricate compositions. Balzar's powerful and dramatic vocal style, not used very effectively on Musiciens-Magiciens, is very expressive on "Le Cerf-Volant" which, when combined with the Tony Banks-styled synth work, falls somewhere between Ange and Genesis in style. "Gae Lowe (Le Duel)" doesn't work as well; the duel exists between a funky fusion groove and the afore-mentioned symphonic themes and the two never resolve fully. The two-part "Tunnel," however, is a hallmark of Atoll's symphonic period, a delightful masterpiece with many complex melodies and excellent solos by Beya and Taillet. Gozzo once again displays his excellent chops with his best performance on this album. And, if that isn't enough, Stella Vander (of Magma) and Lisa Deluxe add feminine backing vocals for depth.
Rock Puzzle was released in September of 1979. The members remained the same from Tertio to this album, but Atoll's fourth release marks the beginning of the decline of band. At the insistence of the band's label, Eurodisk, Atoll streamlined their sound, and included rock numbers, ballads and even disco-styled songs in their repertoire. To add fuel to the fire, the label added strings and horns to further commercialize the sound. "L'ultima Rock" is a very straighforward rocker with a too obvious brass section added in, and "Garces de Femmes" is another uptempo rock number. Contrast these to the string section added to the ballad "Kaelka," which begins with cheesy fake bird sounds. "Eau (H20)" alternates between gentle acoustic guitar and rockier passages. Although it has a proggy feel, it also borders too close to becoming a mere "power ballad." The worst is the danceable "Smarto-Kitschy," with it's disco-styled beat and layered, syrupy string section. This song was actually remixed as "Atari! That's a Game" and used as the theme music to a game show based on Atari video games! If it were only a couple of minutes long, "Smarto-Kitschy" would be acceptable as "tongue-in-cheek" fun but at nearly eight minutes it is purely painful. Rock Puzzle does have a few redeeming songs: "L'Age d'or," "La Maison de Men-Taa" and "Puzzle." The first is very progressive, despite the streamlining. The second is very concise and direct but contains expressive soloing from Beya, as well as some wonderful atmospheric synth work from Taillet. "Puzzle" is the standout and is an excellent cut, in the vein of Tertio's "Tunnel." And, once again, it features the vocal talents of Stella Vander and Lisa Deluxe. The CD reissue contains several bonus tracks, including remixes of "L'ultima Rock" and "Puzzle," as well as the Atari theme song mentioned above. Atoll was not satisfied with Eurodisk's promotion of any of their albums and opted out of their contract with the label after the release of Rock Puzzle. Eurodisk attempted to cash in on whatever popularity Atoll had gained around the world and released Cosmic Trips, a compilation album.
Internal tensions in the band finally caused a serious rift and many members bailed out. Eventually, Atoll was reduced to a quartet of Gozzo, Taillet, Jean-Jacques Flety on guitar and Didier Lozano on bass. Earlier, Gozzo had met John Wetton at a UK concert and approached him about producing Atoll's fifth album. After hearing a tape of L'araignee Mal, Wetton agreed. After working out new compositions, Atoll went in search of a vocalist. Eventually, they asked Wetton to sing but he also wanted to play bass, so Lozano left Atoll to make room for Wetton. This formation went into the studio and recorded three tracks, which are included as bonus tracks on Musea's Rock Puzzle reissue. Polydor, who were courting Atoll, were negotiated with EG, who had Wetton under contract, but they reached a stalemate. After a period of time and with negotiations making no headway, Wetton could no longer wait and joined Asia. The irony is that the first bonus track on Rock Puzzle from the "Wetton-era" Atoll is the Wetton-penned "Here Comes the Feeling," which was to appear on the first Asia album. Even the two remaining songs, written by Atoll, were very much prototypical Asia-type songs, thanks to Wetton's influence. With the news that Wetton joined Asia, Atoll folded up until the late 1980s, when Christian Beya attempted to revive the name. This new Atoll recorded one studio album, L'Ocean, plus released a live album, Tokyo, C'est Fini, which was culled from a live Japanese tour in support of L'Ocean. I have only heard "Metamorphose" from this period, which is included on Musea's Enchantment sampler. "Metamorphose" features Beya on acoustic and electric guitars and Andre Teitschaid, who creates a chorus of voices. This is a fairly nice, textural cut but most of L'Ocean is said to be a mix of rock and pop with only a hint of prime progressive Atoll of old.
Atoll, in their short history, released two excellent and very different albums, L'Araignee-Mal and Tertio. Fusion fans should start with the former while symphonic fans will prefer the latter. Both are excellent and belong in any well-rounded progressive rock collection. -- Mike Taylor

Highly regarded French band. I've heard their first three albums. The first one, Musiciens--Magiciens, is mediocre. Shrill, piercing vocals make it irritating for a start, but the fact is that none of the songs save the 11-minute "Baladin du Temps" really have any quality that draws the listener in. It sounds like neo-prog, yet it was made in the mid-70s. L'Araignee-Mal is a vast improvement on their debut. Adding a violinist to the band and a touch of fusion to their sound, this is a very exciting album. The vocals are much improved, going a little loony on "Le Photographe Exorciste" as per Ange, but for the most part unobtrusive, and most of the music is instrumental anyway. The drums, unlike the first album, are very strong and colourful, reminding me of Arti E Mestieri in the faster passages. Keyboards and violin are also prominent, the former sounding not un-Wakeman-like. The side-long title track is totally mindblowing; highly recommended. With their new-found confidence, the band made Tertio, which is what I believe their first album ought to have sounded like. Lively keyboards and active drums, with powerful yet not strident or annoying vocals make this a must-have for French symphonic prog fans. "Paris, C'est Fini" and the two-part, 14-minute "Tunnel" are the high points. There's a few more Atoll albums, but they aren't supposed to be very good. -- Mike Ohman

=========

Atoll


Luc Sera - гитара
Alain Gozzo - ударные
Michel Taillet - клавишные
Andre Balzer - вокал, перкуссия
Jean-Luc Thillot - бас-гитара



Исконно французская труппа бродяг-шарлатанов, тонкостью вкуса и изяществом своей музыки превосходившая именитых дворцовых музыкантов Его величества. Щедро разбрасывая элегантные кружева прогрессива по терпким полотнам рока, менестрели ATOLL хлестким словечком и балаганным наигрышем вкупе с показной грубостью вокала маскировали хрупкость внутреннего мира и лиричность тем, окрашенных полетами фантазии синтезатора Муга, романтикой меллотрона и диалогами солирующих инструментов, оттеняя собственной гениальностью "изюминку" национального свойства.

К 1973 г. в Великобритании, да и во всем мире арт-рок переживал эпоху подлинного подъема, "золотой век" этого направления рок-музыки. Во Франции, пройдя закалку социальных потрясений, оставивших в душе рока пятой республики глубокие шрамы в виде опоры на условности молодежной субкультуры, верности идеям западноевропейского и, отчасти, заокеанского искусства, а также заповедям нравственного очищения, музыкальная сцена весьма бурно реагировала на происходившие в обществе перемены, ответив на них всплеском активности.

С одной стороны, рок-музыка двигалась по пути социальной сатиры, уходившей корнями к творчеству средневековых бродячих актеров и, уже в наше время, подпитывавшейся россыпями джаз-рок-"безобразий" Фрэнка Заппы. С другой - немаловажную роль сыграли драматические жанры исполнительского искусства (такие, как опера), входившая в сферу интересов рок-исполнителей европейская музыкальная архаика и десятилетиями пользовавшиеся популярностью в самых широких слоях джаз и эстрада.

За точку отсчета не случайно взята первая треть семидесятых. В это время появляется второе поколение французских рок-групп. Их напрямую не коснулись революционные потрясения, они не могли довольствоваться простой адаптацией заимствованных музыкальных форм (блюза, рок-н-ролла, ритм-энд-блюза) на национальной почве, стремясь на их основе расширить музыкальные горизонты, создавая музыку принципиально иного уровня мышления - с учетом выросшего артистизма и виртуозности владения инструментами, чьим усилиями мы обязаны появлению школы французского арт-рока: ANGE, APOCALYPSE, ATOLL, CLEARLIGHT, DESIGN, THE DIXIES, ERGO SUM, GONG, GWENDAL, MAGMA, MARTIN CIRCUS, MONA LISA, CATHERINE RIBEIRO, SANDROSE, TRIANGLE, VARIATIONS, VISITORS, VOYAGE.

ATOLL образовали в 1972 году гитарист Люк Сера, басист Жан-Люк Тийо и барабанщик Ален Гоззо - все родом из города Мец, административного центра департамента Мозель. Чуть позднее к ним присоединился вокалист Андре Бальцер, а к 1973 году в группе появился клавишник Мишель Тайе, до этого игравший в PERCUSSIONS DE STRASBOURG.

После выхода в октябре 1973 года первого сингла "Je t'aime quand je te vois"/"Change ta vie" (Eurodisc), группа в мае 1974 года записала Musiciens-Magiciens - альбом "решительного прогрессива, с великолепно подобранными темами", а вокальные партии на родном языке и так нам знакомый упор на тексты "потянули" за собой неортодоксальную ритмику. На диске было заметно влияние ранних KING CRIMSON, гитарное интро к "Le Secret du Mage" и одна из наиболее амбициозных вещей пластинки "Je suis d'ailleurs" воскрешают в памяти YES времен Close To The Edge. Второй сорокопяткой к альбому стала "Le Secret du Mage"/"Je fais un reve" (1974 Eurodisc).

В начале 1975 г. группу покинул Люк Сера, которого заменил гитарист Кристиан Бейя (Christian Beya). В декабре вышел второй диск, после которого о группе заговорили. На нем играли новые участник - скрипач Ришар Обер (Richard Aubert) из KOMINTERN (LP Le Bal Du Rat Mort - 1971 Harvest) и второй клавишник Бруно Жерин (Вruno Gerin). За короткий срок ATOLL продемонстрировал разительные перемены: мастерские аранжировки, возросший потенциал группы, а главное - очень личностное воплощение и тщательная разработку всех идей, с яркими диалогами солирующих инструментов (гитары и скрипки), "ледяной синевой" синтезатора и оркестровыми полотнами меллотрона. Найдя свой стиль и почувствовав вкус к концептуализму, они сумели превратить в классику такие вещи, как "Le photographie exorciste" и "Le voleur d'exstase", сама же группа двигалась в сторону прогрессива, близкого к музыке CURVED AIR и CARAVAN. На пластинке были и настоящие шедевры - например, сюита "L'araignee mal": вслед за вступлением на клавесина Мишеля Тайе, в полную силу развернулся Бруно Жерин на "Мини-муге", фортепьяно и меллотроне.

Ришар Обер и Бруно Жерин ушли в декабре 1976 года. Тем не менее, их недолгое пребывание оставило яркий след в истории группы, наложив явный отпечаток на ее стилистику. Третий диск, появившийся в июле 1977 года, принес успех у публики. Музыка эволюционировала в сторону усложнения, прибавив в выразительной силе и лиризме: отличалась "Les dieux-memes", исполненная на всевозможных клавишных Мишелем Тайе в паре с электрогитарой Кристиана Бейя, блиставшего также инструментальными пассажами на "Tunnel". Группа не чуралась и динамичных композиций - захватывает дух волшебные соло гитары и синтезатора Муга на "Le cerf-volant".

Год спустя, в 1978 г. появился сингл "Paris, c'est fini"/"Tunnel" (Eurodisc).

В сентябре 1979 года начался новый этап в истории группы. Альбом Rock Puzzle был призван объединить прогрессив (хрупкую и возвышенную "Kaelka", подлинно оригинальные "H2O" и "La maison Men Taa") с более коммерческой музыкой ("L'ultime Rock", "Smarto Kitschy").

Eсли судить по наличию баллад и шансон-рока вкупе с такими режущими слух новшествами, как "диско-прогрессив" пластинка стала компромиссом рынку в преддверии кадровых перестановок. Одновременно на рынок был выброшен промо-макси-сингл "Smartо Kitschy"/"La Maison de Man Taa"/"Smarto Kitschy (long version)" (1979 Eurodisc), год спустя переизданный как "Smarto Kitschy"/"L'Ultime Rock" (Eurodisc/Arabella). Заглавная вещь с него вошла в сборник Disco Coca-Cola.

С уходом многих музыкантов барабанщик Ален Гоззо, клавишник Мишель Тайе и гитарист Кристиан Бейя объединились с известнейшим басистом и вокалистом Джоном Уэттоном (John Wetton), игравшим прежде в FAMILY, KING CRIMSON, ROXY MUSIC и URIAH HEEP. Записав в таком составе три композиции, на которых апробировалось будущее фарисейство ASIA (доступные как бонус-трэки на выпущенном фирмой Musea компакт-диске Rock Puzzle), коллектив сошел со сцены.

В конце восьмидесятых возрожденный ATOLL, в котором из прежнего остался только Кристиан Бейя, записал альбом в духе Rock Puzzle, затем появился концертник с материалом выступлений в Японии, отличающийся хорошим звуком и дающий возможность услышать концертные версии некоторых старых вещей ("L'araignee Mal", "Paris, c'est fini").



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Дискография:


1. Musiciens-Magiciens (LP) - 1974 (Eurodisc); CD - 1989 (Crime-King - Japan), 1989 (Musea - France) with 4 unreleased live tracks from 1973

L'hymne Medieval/Le baladin du temps/Musiciens-Magiciens/Au-dela des ecrans de Cristal/Le secret du mage/Le berger/Je suis d'ailleurs


2. L'Araignee-Mal (LP) - 1975 (Eurodisc); CD - 1989 (Crime-King - Japan),

1989 (Musea - France) with bonus-tracks (recorded live in June, 1975)



3. Tertio (LP) - 1977 (Eurodisc); CD - 1989 (Ariola/Crime-King - Japan), 1992 (Musea - France)

Paris c'est fini/Les dieux meme/Gae lowe/Le cerf volant/Tunnel





4. Rock Puzzle (LP) - 1979 (Eurodisc); CD - 1989 (Ariola/Crime-King - Japan),

1993 (Musea - France) with 6 unreleased tracks (3 of them with John Wetton)



5. Cosmic Trips (Сomp. LP) - 1981 (Eurodisc)



6. L'ocean (CD) - 1989 (Crime-King - Japan), (Flarenash-Carrere - France)



6. Tokio c'est fini (Live CD) - 1989 (Crime-King - Japan), (Spalax Music - France)






Atoll

Discography

Musiciens Magiciens (1974)
L'Araignee Mal (1975)
Tertio (1977)
Rock Puzzle (1979)
L'Ocean (1989)
Tokyo, C'est Fini-Live (1990)


County Of Origin: France
Established: 1972
Styles: Symphonic





Musiciens-Magiciens (1974)

Next to Ange, Atoll were probably the most influential of the French symphonic groups. With their debut album Musiciens-Magiciens, they arrived early enough to precede and place their stamp on later (and better) albums from the likes of Shylock, Carpe Diem, and Pulsar. Indeed, while undoubtedly an important album in the French progressive rock continuum, Musiciens-Magiciens is still plagued by some rather obvious debut album deficiencies. Most noticeably, the band is still in an overly-reverential phase, nodding far too heavily in the direction of English progressive rock pioneers, particularly Yes. While the French vocals and the occasional dynamic passage hint at an eccentricity they would later develop, most of the album is taken up by a rather bland, derivative symphonic rock. Occasionally, such as on the quasi-epic "Le balladin du temps" and on closer "Le Suis d'eilleurs", the vocalist gets caught up in attempting to hit Jon Anderson-like notes that he can't quite reach.

Mellotron, synthesizer, cutting guitar work and Squire-esque "lead bass" dominate the melodic landscape, and while all the instrumentalists are noticeably competent, the tunes in general lack much in the way of dynamic or emotional urgency. Saving graces include the infectious opener "L'hymne medieval", scattered portions throughout the rest of the album. On the whole, Musiciens-Magiciens is an acceptable debut, but still sees Atoll trying to find their own voice. - Greg Northrup [December 2002]


1. L'Hymne Medieval - 3:13
2. Le Baladin Du Temps - 11:08
a. L'arpege philosophal
b. L'incube
c. L'arpege philosophal
3. Musiciens-Magiciens - 3:43
4. Au-dela Des Ecrans De Cristal - 5:28
5. Le Secret Du Mage - 2:56
6. Le Berger - 3:48
7. Je Suis D'Ailleurs - 7:58

Andre Balzer - Percussion
Jean-Luc Thillot - Bass, Vocals
Michel Taillet - Vocals, Percussion, Clavinet
Alain Gozzo - Drums
Richerd Aubert - Violin
Christian Beya - Guitar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

L'Araignee Mal (1975)

Wow, what a difference a year makes. On their second release, L'Araignee Mal, Atoll had managed to carve out a distinguished niche in the crowded French prog scene of the 70s, at times sounding like a completely different band than on their debut. The overt Yes-isms of Musiciens-Magiciens have largely been done away with. The fey Anderson impersonation and cloying symphonic cliches are replaced with a confident, biting instrumental edge, with an almost fusion tinge at times, and assertive, dramatic vocals. That's not to say this isn't a symphonic prog album, it certainly is, and in the best sense of the word. On this platter, Atoll move into the darker realms that would later be explored by the likes of Pulsar, yet with a much greater sense of urgency.
All of the pieces display an obvious confidence and ability on the part of the band to stretch out instrumentally, and every musicians fits into their respective slot with extraordinary aplomb. Particularly impressive this time around is the strident, pulsing rhythm section, which navigates the band through numerous time changes and main melodic themes, interacting powerfully with the now blazing guitar solos and rippling synthesizer melodies. The dynamic ranges of the individual pieces are far more effective, as in the title track, where pastoral mellotron flute-patches back airy guitar melodies, before building into surging, vocal-led climax with cascading moog melodies. More often, the peaks of the respective tracks are characterized by fantastic, inspired solos, on both keyboards and guitar, trading off with catchy melodic motifs which fly by at such a pronounced pace that it's difficult to keep track of them. The finale of "Le Cimetiere de Plastique" almost comes off like a better version of what the first album attempting, as soaring, melodic keyboard themes continuously develop, while emphasis from rumbling bass lines and tasteful guitar commentary provides maximum emotional effect. Each and every track on L'Araignee Mal is uniformly excellent, and it is easily among the finest French symphonic prog albums. - Greg Northrup [December 2002]

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Tertio (1977 )

Tertio is the third album from the great French prog group Atoll, and while a slight departure from their previous work, it remains an extremely solid and enjoyable listen. On Tertio, Atoll has put much less emphasis on the rousing instrumental solos, and the fusion bent that reared its head occasionally on L'Araignee Mal is largely absent. Instead, Atoll turn in an effort of top tier symphonic prog, yet with a gritty edge that is undeniably their own. For starters, the album is far more vocal-oriented this time around, but that's not to say the band's sound is streamlined a whole lot. Rather, the lack of extended solo forums for the individual musicians means that thought-out band interplay and intricate composition take on a greater role. Fortunately, nearly all the pieces are engaging from beginning to end, filled with strong melodic themes, continuously shifting counter melodies and satisfying rhythmic twists. The aforementioned vocal dependency is obvious from the get-go, as the pieces are generally built upon the central role of the vocal melody, which thankfully, is usually strong. Only on "Gae Lowe" do the vocals enter into the ill advised Jon Anderson range, and the moment is so brief it's barely noticeable. However, it wouldn't be symphonic prog without the extended instrumental sections, which are clearly Atoll's strength. Generally, they are comprised of towering, intertwined Mini-Moog and guitar melodies, backed by heaving mellotron washes. "Tunnels II", in particular, builds on a repetitive groove towards an explosive, layered finale.

Certainly, Tertio does not quite grasp at the shuddering emotional heights of its fantastic predecessor, perhaps due to its more song oriented style. Nonetheless, it is a solid addition for collectors of French symphonic rock, and an effective cap to this band's classic era. - Greg Northrup [December 2002]