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1.
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Corima - Quetzalcoatl ((japanese zeuhl) I figure Koenjihyakkei's style of zeuhl is far more different than Magma's style of zeuhl. The first one being a lot more based on choirs, chaos and abrasive instrumentation and not as much prog rock oriented like the original style. That's why I call Koenjihyakkei's style japanese zeuhl. Why am I talking about Koenjihyakkei on the Corima entry, which isn't even japanese? Well, because they have a lot in common. Corima is the closest to Koenjihyakkei I can think of without being the actual band. Especially the debut album Quetzalcoatl. The songs here are more to the shorter side but other than that all the elements are there: weirdness, chaotic chanting passages and so on. If you prefer yourself some good chaos and mindfuckery this is a must listen.) |
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2.
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Dai Kaht - Dai Kaht ((indie rock/zeuhl) This finnish group came out of nowhere, mixing zeuhl and indie rock like they didn't care, like it was the most natural thing on earth. Never have I seen an unexpected genre blend that sounded so natural like that. It's that kind of album that is so fun to listen to that you don't even recognize the genre you're listening to because you don't give a damn, you just want to have fun listening to it.) |
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3.
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Эпос - Рок-былина "Илья" ((zeuhl/russian folk) This album is something else. If you are familiar with russian folk you probably already know that characteristic female singing style. That style sums up the basis of this album pretty well, except that the songs start detouring to the prog rock midwise until they reach zeuhl instrumentation, except that then the Russian folk singing style takes place over the operatic singing you often find on zeuhl bands.) |
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4.
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Eskaton - 4 Visions ((zeuhl) 4 Visions is contender for my most favorite zeuhl album of all time. This album is pure zeuhl, no weird fusion here. But that's enough for a weird music appreciator like me, because this album is unique enough as it is. It's not often that you see the operatic vocals and the jam space prog rock instrumentation lead the atmosphere to something breathtaking and mysterious like they do here. If you like it when your music gets you pumped up this is the thing. There is no chill here, no ballads or no boring soft rock passages. Just... Eskaton. Also... Dat bass.) |
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5.
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Eskaton - Fiction ((synthpop/zeuhl) It wasn't enough releasing 4 visions (one of the best and most original zeuhl albums ever conceived) as their debut, Eskaton also had to embrace the weird unexpected genre fusion, because apparently they are making music especially for Karlabos or something. Fiction is a superb mix of zeuhl and synthpop from the 80s, since they are a band from the 80s after all. This is an album I can listen with a glee on my face from the start to finish. It's so good I can't decide if it's better or not than the previous on this list.) |
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6.
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Etna - Puzzle ((pop/zeuhl/several genres) This album brings me back to my youth, when I'd sit on the back of my dad's car and listen to the tapes he had and just enjoy them, without knowing anything about genre. This is exactly how Etna does music: no genre. Sometimes it's a soft poppy song, sometimes it's technical and intense zeuhl. Just letting everything flow, without worrying too much if the label or the tv or the listener is gonna like it. Perfect on my end. I am definitely gonna like it.) |
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7.
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eX-Girl - Back To The Mono Kero! ((zeuhl/jpop) Oh... eX-Girl... Too bad this is a zeuhl themed list, because their best album is by far Endangered Species, which has no zeuhl on it. However this record doesn't lag too behind in terms of goodness. As a fan of both weird fusions and jpop a blend of zeuhl and jpop meets my taste very much. Yep. This is mostly zeuhl of the weird and abrasive kind, where the operatic vocals got replaced by choirs of the three girls on the band, singing in a jpopesque voice. If you like any of these genres or unexpected genre fusions this is right up your alley.) |
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8.
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Gonin-ish - 死人賛歌 ((zeuhl/prog metal) I always found Gonin-Ish kinda Koenjihyakkei resemblant, but the previous albums weren't enough to be called zeuhl. The new one, however, fits perfectly on the zeuhl meets prog metal category. The whole Magmaesque synthy prog rock background is here, supported by the heaviness of prog metal guitar and piano, and even the choirs so common to the genre can be found on this album, even if harsh vocals are also employed most of the time.) |
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Grüppe - Vinÿle ((noise rock/zeuhl) This is a straight in your face modern zeuhl record meets noise rock. Basically, it has the bass and synth of zeuhl and the drums of noise rock. The songs are shorter because there's not much room for the proggy buildup and climaxing here, since they already start weird and all bassy and bumpy from the get go and stay like that pretty much through the whole time. Sometimes there are some free jazz/noise rock improvisational (or are they?) passages, because you know... Weirdness is never too much.) |
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10.
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Koenjihyakkei - Angherr Shisspa ((japanese zeuhl) Well, I mentioned Koenjihyakkei several times though this list, didn't I? Of course, they are the most well known japanese style zeuhl band out there, and deserved, because they are that good. In my opinion Angherr Shisspa is their best, simply because the craziness gets so over the board on this one. If you never listened to it, search for the album on your preferred platform, play the first song, and get past the intro. You'll understand what I mean.) |
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Magma - Félicité Thösz ((zeuhl) Well, a zeuhl list isn't complete without at least one Magma record. To be honest I don't enjoy Magma as a band very much, mostly because their songs are too calm and the breakdowns for the heavier parts sound a bit artificial. But this record here is different. It's almost like a mini Eskaton album. Since it's a concept album the songs feel more organic, oriented, like a very long prog rock song which starts soft and then gradually increases to... You know... Zeuhl. Also there is a lot of presence of female vocals in this album, making it all similar to what bands like Eskaton or VAK do.) |
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12.
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Moe and ghosts × 空間現代* - Rap Phenomenom ((zeuhl/math rock/hip hop) This is the newest Moe And Ghosts album. When I learned there was a new Moe And Ghosts I knew I was in for experimental stuff. But I wasn't expecting math rock and hip hop. Apart from the amazing guitar weird signatures played by Kukangedai, you can feel the influences of zeuhl on the bass and the brass instrumentation.) |
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13.
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Midori - Second ((prog punk with zeuhl influences) It's funny how a lot of japanese progressive music have their roots on zeuhl. Probably because of Koenji? Midori (early) play a progressive punk thing similar do 385 (the band). However, you can notice the zeuhl influence in some songs when the progressive rock is more apparent in the mix. Regardless of whether zeuhl is very or very little present this record is a must anyway. Just... Listen to it already.) |
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Murmur - Murmur ((avant garde black metal with zeuhl influences) I love this album. I wish this band did new stuff. Imagine that the weirdness of zeuhl and the chaos of the random operatic vocals are multiplied by 10 and added to the madness of avantgarde black metal riffing. In fact, you don't need to imagine anymore, just go listen to it. This is probably one of the most chaotic avantgarde bm albums ever made.) |
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Papangu - Holoceno ((zeuheled sludge metal) These guys got a lot of love this year in this site. Their merit. The music is good. A murky sludge metal meets Magma style of prog little masterpiece hailing from my very country. And it's even better for me because I can regonize the accent and make out the words.) |
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Quest For Blood with Yukihiro Isso - St ((zeuheled folk metal) This band has members of the japanese black metal Magane (also members of the dsbm band Misogi). Together with flute pro player Yukihiro Isso they created this unknown little gem. Instrumental-wise it's an extreme metal piece where you can hear death metal riffs, black metal blast beating, but most of the time just grindcore jazz influenced music like John Zorn, and all of that topped with japanese traditional instruments played by Yukihiro Isso. The album is mostly instrumental, but Yukihiro's maniac flute all above the mix can almost be counted as the "vocals" here. The flute is crazy and all over the place. Combined with all the other instruments it builds an overwhelming chaotic heavy wall of sound. And while we are talking about jazz and heavy, that's where the zeuhl comes in. Koenjihyakkei's crazy style of japanese zeuhl can be recognized here, justifying the entrance on this list.) |
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Q'uq'umatz - Tepeu ((zeuheled black metal) I don't remember if anyone ever mentioned here, If I recall correctly Zon himself (the MS user) said it at some point, but Q'uq'umatz has zeuhl roots. Yes. You can hear it best in the debut album. It's closer to the Ruins kind of zeuhl rather than Magma's, but it is there. Like if Ruins went black metal. The music is driven by repetitive and quite chaotic percussion, there are sections with brass instrumentation and the overall feeling yells jazzy improvisation, except that all of it is also backed up by even crazier drumming and riffing, all producted in a way aiming to induce headache on the listener. How not to like that?) |
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18.
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Super Freego - Pourquoi Es-Tu Si Méchant? ((new wave/zeuhl) Oh boy. Super Freego. Back in the early 80s the new wave (subgenre of pop) was bombing and all, and that coincidentally was the time when zeuhl was being invented. So... It's just natural that somebody would go on and blend the quirky punkish pop of new wave and the complexity of zeuhl together and make it one big thing... Right...? Or maybe it would be too unfitting? Well, Super Freego didn't thought so. And apparently so don't I.) |
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The Great Tyrant - The Trouble With Being Born ((zeuhl/death rock) This album had a lot of fuzz going on around it here in MS back on its time. I was one of the ones who was contributing for the fuzz. Not only because it's the unique blend of zeuhl and death rock I can think of but also because it's really good.) |
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20.
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Universal Totem Orchestra - Mathematical Mother ((zeuhl) This is another very much Magmaesque band, ie, founded in prog rock and female fronted with operatic vocals. Basically a typical zeuhl Magma tribute band. You'd be surprised how hard is to find good stuff on that line, tho. And this is definitely one of the goods. Universal Totem Orchestra sure manages to capture the essence of the genre even releasing music almost 30 year past the genre's time and manages to write overly long songs that slowly direct the listener to the appex making it seem like time hasn't passed at all. I recommend it for everyone who thinks only ex-members of Magma can make the original style of zeuhl.) |
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VAK - Budo ((zeuhl) VAK is a pretty modern pure zeuhl band from france. Their style reminds me a lot of (the great) Eskaton: female-fronted, counting on some degree of operatic vocals, basing their music around long songs with a tense atmosphere. More to the prog rock side and a bit less to the weird side, VAK still writes music very true to Vander's original genre. And the songwriting is on point too, managing to make it seem interesting all the way even with tracks sometimes longer than 20 minutes. Imo VAK is one of the best bands when it comes to regular female fronted zeuhl.) |
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22.
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Vaults Of Zin - Kadath ((zeuhl/doom metal) I remember when this band exploded here on MS due to it mixing doom metal and zeuhl. I got excited and it turns out it really is a good record and band overall. Althought I believe the zeuhl here is mostly sporadic and not so very present as the descriptions on the web seem to make it be. Anyway, it's definitely worth a listen, even it for the doom metal only.) |
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23.
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Xoxo Extreme - The Last Seven Minutes ((zeuhl/prog rock/jpop) Xoxo Extreme is a jpop meets progressive rock band, filling the gap that Bellring Shoujo Heart made in my heart after they disbanded. As great as they are, the records mix mostly regular prog rock instead of the genre invented by Christian Vander. Not the case of this particular album, though. The Last Seven Minutes is a prime example of jpop meets zeuhl. And it's really good. A shame that it's a bit too short.) |
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24.
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Yeti - Volume Obliteration Transcendence ((zeuheled sludge metal) It turns out Papangu wasn't the first sludge metal with zeuhl album ever recorded. This Yeti record here dates back from 2003. And the zeuhl elements are more present here too. Personally I like Papangu better, but if you want another metal meets zeuhl record this one is also pretty lit.) |
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25.
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BONUS: Albums with a single zeuhllish track. Because I can't resist zeuhl coming from random non-zeuhl bands, even if it is on just a single track. |
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26.
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Jay Tholen - Fruiht Tageur ((Track: Ancient Pomegranate) This chiptune album has a zeuhl 8 bit track. How amazing is that? I wish Jay Tholen did only that.) |
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27.
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かめりあ feat. ななひら - Going! ((Track: 混乱少女♥そふらんちゃん!! ノリニクシティ・アンリミテッド☆プログレッシヴ・ポリリズミック・ナイトメア・ロングバージョン) What if two of the weierdest genres blent together on a mental 9 minute long track? Camellia feat. Nanahira is often hardstyle techno/denpa but this track here has zero hardstyle techno and is just a prog rock/zeuhl track holding more signature changes than a forgery con artist. And all of that tempered with random noises (Camellia style) and Nanahira's crazy high pitched voice. To be fair there is so much sampling and weird denpa noises here that it's hard to even recognize what's going on, let alone the genre. All in all it gets contender for weirdest song I've ever listened to. And that's saying something.) |
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28.
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Minimal Criminal - Zeuhllander ((Track: Retroactive) If you think hip hop meets zeuhl wasn't strange enough for a genre fusion, how about zeuhl meets progressive trance!? Honestly speaking the zeuhl contribution here is kinda mild, but I love this record solely because of the idea. I wish this guy did more of this.) |
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29.
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Urbangarde - Ai To Gensou To Urbangarde ((Track: Shoujo Gannen) I am always trying to find different things on the genres I love, like jpop for instance (and gosh, do I find them). And Urbangarde was the first example of zeuhllish I ever heard jpop being. Ai To Gensou No Urbangarde is a weird album all the way but unfortunately it's mostly on this single track that the zeuhl passages are present, and while not exactly non-existent, the zeuhl influences on the rest of the album are scattered around pretty scarcely. Still worthy a listen tho, if you are into the whole weird genre fusion stuff, that is.) |
