Magma (band)

Note that there have been at least two other, lesser-known bands named Magma : a short-lived Polish pop band in the early 1980s who recorded only one album and some singles (including 'Aisha'), and a South Korean band who attempted to reproduce the style of Christian Vander's Magma in the early 1970s.

Discographic notes

Magma's Theusz Hamtaahk trilogy is composed of three movements : Theusz Hamtaahk (first appearing on the Retrospektiw (Parts I+II) album), Wurdah Ïtah, and Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The K.A. (Kohntarkosz Anteria) and Köhntarkösz albums are respectively the first and second parts of a second trilogy. Although never surfaced in full, at least parts of the missing movement Emëhnthët-Rê have been recorded, one snippet appearing as a bonus track on the Seventh Records CD reissue of Üdü Wüdü. Emëhnthët-Rê is currently being completed by the band and is expected to be their next release.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Univeria Zekt was recorded as The Unnamables and is widely considered to be an easier listen than most of Magma's recordings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wurdah Ïtah may technically be a Christian Vander solo project, in that it was composed entirely by him, bore his name during its original release as the soundtrack for the film Tristan et Iseult, and did not feature all of Magma's then-current musicians. It did bear the Magma logo, however, and Vander has referenced it as a Magma album.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After Hhaï, the focus shifted away from the spiritual/epic poem aspects of their music. While Attahk and Üdü Wüdü do have some songs written in Kobaian, it was never revealed how these fit into the earlier story structure Magma had built.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Les Voix and Floë Ëssi/Ëktah were performed by Vander with a completely new lineup. The style was somewhere between the classic Magma sound and the more jazz-influenced music of Vander's post-Magma band, Offering.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Simples is a bizarre piece, in that it consists of several earlier Magma prog-rock epics edited down to a length that the band had originally hoped would garner them radio airtime during the 1970s. To listeners familiar with Magma's sound, this may make for a fairly incongruous, overly-radio-friendly listen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In November 2004 Kohntarkosz Anteria or K.A. was released on Seventh Records, the first recording of a lengthy work written 30 years before, bridging the gap in the Kobaian saga between MDK and Kohntarkosz. Magma's lineup was different for this disc; the only original members were Christian and Stella Vander. Reviews were almost unanimously positive, many considering K.A. the equal of any of the '70s classics.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~