Magma - Mekanik Kommandoh 1973

Mekanïk Kommandöh is the original version of the 1973 album Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh. Small difference, right? Well, yes and no. The piece is largely the same, though with a stripped down ensemble, and a different mix. However, MK is arguably more effective in delivering the dark, extra-terrestrial, almost primal effect of its Kobaian narrative. First of all, it begins with a doom - leaden (and henceforth discarded) introduction. The piano strikes a menacing bass pedal, and from somewhere deep inside your speakers emerge more pianos, building slowly, until a wall of ivory noise fills the spectrum. It slowly begins to recede, when suddenly Vander begins his announcement. Barely containing himself, he ends with the ultimate zeuhl proclamation of "Kobaia Iss De Hundin!!", and you're off.

MDK proper begins at this point. The mix is different, in that the drums are much more prominent, and since the ensemble (piano, light organ, bass, drums, light percussion, chorus) is small, the sound is much more 'to the point' than the BS&T-meets-Gil Evans of the '73 release. Now, I can finally see why everyone thought Magma was so 'oppressive.' The Storchhaus Orchestra Choir does a good job of beefing up the vocal sound, but for some reason seem to gradually disappear by the end of the album (Vander ran of time to record? money?). Additionally, the vocalists start to run out of gas near the very end of the record (slight intonation problems, a missed entrance or two), but after singing continuously for 35 minutes, the vocalists are easy to forgive.

Other small differences with the final MDK are present: subtle, baroque organ motives, an overall more restrained Klaus Blasquiz, the omission of the enigmatic outro from the '73 release. If I had to choose which version of MDK I was going to buy, I might lean towards this one for two reasons: 1) the mix is more to my tastes, with the emphasis on the drums and the vocals, rather than the melodic instruments (horns, guitar, etc.) and the vocals; 2) despite its polarizing effect on listeners, MDK '73 doesn't really bring out the haunting power of its story as well as MK. This is raw, no-nonsense zeuhl, free of commercial concerns and band politics (in these respects, making the album similar to Wurdah Itah), and it serves the band's legacy as well as any other album.