Jean Pierre Louveton is back with an epic new album of music, Sapiens, Chapitre 3/3: Actum; which was released March 11, 2022, on the Quadrifonic label.
Jean Pierre Louveton is a famous French vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and he is also great with virtual instruments, musician from Puy, France. He formed the band JPL to provide a project to release his spacey progressive rock to the world.
Accompanying Jean Pierre Louveton on , Sapiens, Chapitre 3/3: Actum, are:Jean Baptiste Itier, on drums, for tracks: 1,4, and 5; Florent Ville, on drums, for tracks: 2 and 3, keyboards & programming, on track 3; Guillaume Fontaine, on keyboards, on track 3; Didier Vernet, on bass, on tracks: 2 and 3; Stéphanie Vouillot, on piano, on tracks: 5c and 5d and vocals, on track 2; Marguerite Miallier, on hurdy-gurdy, on track: 4; and Sylvain Haon, on soprano saxophone, on track: 5d.
The very spacey and cool album cover was designed by Stan W. Decker.
This is a great album of spacey, Rush-like progressive rock. The opening track, “Paradis Perdu”, reminds me of Rush’s “YYZ”, off of Moving Pictures. Just a fun, guitar picking, bass and drums action piece, with some cool keyboards added from time to time. Later, there are lyrics, but they are French. Off to a good start.
“Mon Cercueil”, opens with Jean Pierre Louveton speaking in French, with deep bass grinding in the background. Lead electric guitar enters, while the cool deep bass keeps kicking butt, along with the heavy drums. Wish I knew what he was saying, but the music is great. You can still hear a little of the Rush influence, but this time, flute like keys add a different perspective, taking it back to classic prog. I like it.
“Alias, (La Machine)”, is the peppiest of the tracks so far. More heavy Rush influences, but the piano is a rich addition to the mix and it stands out well. One of the best tracks on the album.
“Dansez Maintenant”, opens with clapping, and wonderful heavy drums. Jean Pierre Louveton sings, before more pressing Rush, lead electric guitars glide through the cool keyboards, bass, and percussion.
The “Memento Mori”, epic, five-part masterpiece, is what we have all been waiting for on this album. And the wait was absolutely worth it! This marching symphonic masterpiece is one of the best multi-track anthems I have heard this year. Unbelievable! The deep, seated bass, keyboards, violins and strings add so much mystery and symphonic mastery to this awesome piece of power music. The opening, Part 1 – “Marche Vers L’inconnu”, rivals some of the work Tool completed on their masterpiece Fear Inoculum. All instrumental, on this part one, but stunningly magical, in every way. Tempus Fugit, flies by so fast. But it is almost as fun as the Yes’ classic, bearing the same name. “La Mort Du Roi”, brings back Jean Pierre Louveton’s vocals, along with deep drums and a stunning background symphony. Louveton’s guitar soloing on this track will make you want to hear more of his albums. Just amazing. The piano that takes over on “Paria”, from Stéphanie Vouillot is exciting. Then, Sylvain Haon, adds soprano saxophone; as if there wasn’t already enough at this party. Louveton is like a master French chef, adding layers and layers to this beautiful masterpiece of a musical cake. As a listener, you are just sitting here, stunned and amazed. You are wondering “what will come next”?
Soft acoustic guitar and heavy bells join in the symphony, along with excellent percussion work on the closing finale, “Acta Fabula Est”. So different and wonderful. New music that actually sounds new. Hard to compare this to anyone. So imaginative. So complex and full of life. You just don’t want it to end. The heavy drums and electric guitar soloing are immaculate.
This is easily one of the best symphonic progressive rock albums you will probably hear this year. It should remain high on my list of the best progressive releases this year. Simply magnificent. They left nothing out of this symphonic masterpiece. Choirs at the end and more glittering musicianship than I have heard from one band in a while. Go get this!
Track List
- Paradis Perdu – 5:54
- Mon Cercueil – 6:08
- Alias (La Machine) – 4:51
- Dansez Maintenant – 5:16
- – Marche Vers l’inconnu – 2:32
- Memento Mori 2 – Tempus Fugit – 2:26
- Memento Mori 3 – La Mort Du Roi – 5:26
- Memento Mori 4 – Paria – 5:06
- Memento Mori 5 – Acta Fabula Est – 7:31
https://jplouveton.bandcamp.com/album/sapiens-chapitre-3-3-actum