Present

Following their uncompromising and psychotic debut album, the similary styled "Le Poison Qui Rend Fou" isn't something to joke about either. This time around, Roger Trigaux' songwriting tends to be more diverse and less minimalist sounding, keeping the hypnotic and gloomy moods present on Triskaidekaphobie only with a slightly less demanding approach…

Present was the brainchild of Univers Zero guitarist Roger Trigaux, showing his compositional skills outside that band teamed up with UZ drummer Daniel Denis, bassist Christian Genet and the relatively unknown Alain Rochette on the keyboards…

Present's dark vision is alive and well (so to speak) on this live disk, and the vision is perhaps even more congenial to the modern audience than it was at the time of its inception back in 1981. Present's leader, electric guitarist Roger Trigaux, had also been a founding member of the slightly earlier and equally dark Univers Zero, and in the late '70s and early '80s, the music of these two Belgian groups was strong stuff indeed and strictly for cultists…

ELO fans who found in Long Distance Voyager a new Discovery can be excused for thinking there's no Time like The Present. Just as ELO's follow-up to the sweeping Discovery seemed tame by comparison, so The Present failed to match the grandiose arrangements of the Moodies' previous record. It's still a solid effort, bolstered by strong songwriting and pleasant melodies, but as good as the opening "Blue World" is, its downbeat message is no substitute for the clarion call of "The Voice." The Present seems to make a conscious effort to scale back the arena-size sound of their previous album, returning to the warmly rendered ballads of old…

ELO fans who found in Long Distance Voyager a new Discovery can be excused for thinking there's no Time like The Present. Just as ELO's follow-up to the sweeping Discovery seemed tame by comparison, so The Present failed to match the grandiose arrangements of the Moodies' previous record. It's still a solid effort, bolstered by strong songwriting and pleasant melodies, but as good as the opening "Blue World" is, its downbeat message is no substitute for the clarion call of "The Voice." …

Univers Zero guitarist Roger Trigaux left the group after their second release, Heresie, and formed Present. This reissue combines 1980's Triskaïdékaphobie with 1985's Le Poison Qui Rend Fou. Trigaux was joined on the 1980 debut by Univers Zero drummer Daniel Denis and bassist Christian Genet, who played on Univers Zero's first release. Le Poison Qui Rend Fou maintains the same lineup, except that bassist Ferdinand Philippot replaces Genet on electric bass…

After a long hibernation (roughly a decade), Present rises from its ashes with this strange format, consisting of only Roger Trigaux and his son Reginald, both on guitar, vocals and percussion. Released in 93 with a sombre artwork, reminiscent of the original UZ's Heresie artwork, this album contains only three tracks, all of them filled with awesome guitar works for a total of almost 50 minutes, and was recorded just a stone's throw from the French boder…

"High Infidelity" is PRESENT's most complex and best album so far. The opening 27 minutes long six-part composition "Souls For Sale" are one of the best songs ever written by guitarist and bandleader Roger Trigaux (ex. UNIVERS ZERO). The music is intense, hard-edged and dark and the addition of a brass section makes the music even better and more dynamic…