Univers Zéro - Live

Live has several things going for it, including the obvious fact that UZ are indeed performing live before enthusiastic audiences at two June 2005 concert dates, one in Belgium and the other in France. The bandmembers mainstays Denis and doublereedist Michel Berckmans, relative newcomer Eric Plantain on bass, and new faces Peter Vandenberghe on keyboards, Kurt Budé on reeds, and Martin Lauwers on violin are obviously fired up and ready to give it their all before the UZ faithful. But some special credit might also be directed toward Vandenberghe, a wizard of the electric keyboards who has proven his mettle in landmark Belgian avantprog and avantgarde jazz outfits like XLegged Sally, Flat Earth Society, and Pierre Vervloesem's Grosso Modo. The fact is, all three of the preceding discs since UZ's reformation (The Hard Quest, Rhythmix, and Implosion) have featured Denis multitracked on keyboards as well as drums, and although he is a fine keyboardist and samplist who unfailingly conjures up unique voicings, unsettling harmonics, and alien industrial atmospheres, he doesn't have the sheer chops of someone like Vandenberghe. "Xenantaya" is a case in point, as Vandenberghe unleashes a solo that truly pushes the typical UZ envelope he ratchets up the intensity level on what sounds like a twisted variant of a Fender Rhodes in a possessed fusion band, with Denis and Plantain providing solid support every step of the way. optimistic. Live is an indispensable release for anyone who believes that "Bartók" and "rock" can fit comfortably in the same sentence.

- Dave Lynch, All Music Guide