Forgotten Sons


A Brief History

Belgium is not one of the countries best known for its contribution to the progressive rock scene. However, one band that does often crop up when one considers the musical scene that originated form this country, one must surely mention the group Univers Zero. However, the origins of this legendary band lie within a progressive trio called Arkham, that during its brief history became one of, if not the most, popular Belgian progressive rock band.

Before delving into the history of the band, one should also ponder on the band name and its origins. First of all, all those who know about the music of Univers Zero, also know of Denis' fascination of H.P. Lovecraft and his works. Many of these works have been incorporated into the works of this band in one way or another, and it seems that the H.P. Lovecraft fascination started way before the formation of Univers Zero, as the band name amply indicates (Arkham is the name of a town central to the Lovecraft mythos). In actual fact I have also found written down that the band name was actually Achime, and Arkham is the French translation of the town name.

Anyway, back to the history of the band which was formed in 1970 by keyboardist Jean-Luc Manderlier, drummer Daniel Denis and bassist Claude "Piccolo" Berkovitch who had previously had a stint with Here And Now. The band rehearsed for about three months, playing a music clearly influenced by the freer improvisational bands such as Captain Beefheart and Soft Machine, before embarking on their first concerts which gave them instant success within their homeland.

However in October that year, Berkovitch left the band to be replaced by Patrick Cogneaux, formerly of Knives And Axes. Rehearsal space was shared with another band called Lyze, whose members included guitarist Roger Trigaux, bassist Guy Segers and trumpet player Claude Deron. Deron would eventually join Arkham in the years to come while all these three musicians would be fundamental to Denis, who would in time recruit them to form Univers Zero.

1971 was a year of rehearsals and touring, with the band also playing major festivals in Belgium such as the Cocripop Festival in Charleroi and the Freeshow in Josphat Park in Brussels. On September 4th of that very year, the band also played as opening act for French legends Magma, a concert which would have a telling effect on the band's future. Cogneaux himself left the band in late September 1971 and was replaced by guitarist/bassist Paolo Radoni (Here And Now), by which time the band was slowly becoming less elaborate and improvised.

The end of the band seemed to be near, though they did augment their lineup to that of a five piece with the addition of trumpet player Claude Deron and guitarist Fran�ois Arnadeau (Jellyfish) which also allowed Manderlier to expand his compositions to that based on jazz-rock bands such as Ian Carr's Nucleus. Musicians seemed to be lasting only a few concerts, such as Christian Ramon who also appears on the only recordings of the band and was hired for one particular gig as the band did not have a bass player at that time!

In March 1972, Magma were being restructured and band leader Christian Vander remembered the band Arkham and asked Denis and Manderlier, to join Magma. Both joined the band but Denis only lasted a few concerts and opted out due to clashes and personal differences with fellow drummer Vander. Manderlier remained with Magma and appears on one of their finest recordings, the 1973 Mekan�k Destrukt�w Kommand�h.

The last Arkham concert took place in May 1972, in Holland with the lineup of Mandelier, Denis, Radoni and Vincent Kenis (later of Aksak Maboul). In 1973, Denis and Claude Deron formed Necronomicon which in 1974 evolved into Univers Zero with the addition of Roger Trigaux, Guy Segers (bass), Patrick Hanappier (violin), John Van RijmenanTt (sax) and Vincent Motoulle (keyboards).

Arkham - Arkham

Country of Origin:Belgium
Record Label:Cuneiform Records
Catalogue #:RUNE 160
Year of Release:2002
Info:Cuneiform Records
Samples:Cuneiform Records

Tracklist: Upstairs In The Granary (5:11), Eve's Eventful Day (Part 5 & 6) (3:22), Monolithic Progression With Anticipated Rupture (8:00), Brussels Shortly After (8:30), Bleriot: Visibility Poor (8:18), With Assays Of Bias (10:21), Eve's Eventful Day (Part 3) (4:45), Riff 14 (8:48), Tight Trousers (4:37)

Musicians: Jean-Luc Manderlier (Hammond organ, electric piano, clavioline), Daniel Denis (drums, whistles), Patrick Cogneaux (bass and some strange frequency modulations), Claude "Piccolo" Berkovitch (bass on Track 3), Claude Deron (electric fugelhorn on Tracks 8 and 9), Christian "Djoum" Ramon (bass on Tracks 8 and 9)
All music composed and arranged by Jean-Luc Manderlier
Remastered by Didier de Roos at Fields Studio, Belgium, June 2001
Tracks 1, 2 recorded July 4th, 1971 at M.J.c., Feluy, Belgium
Track 3 recorded June 1970 at RTB, Brussels, Belgium
Track 4 recorded at "The Recreation", Brussels, Belgium
Tracks 5, 7 recorded 1971, Brussels, Belgium
Track 6 recorded June 26th, 1971 at the "Cocoripop Festival", Carleroi, Belgium
Tracks 8, 9 recorded April 28th 1972 at M.J.c., Verviers, Belgium








Nigel Camilleri

Related Websites

There is no official website dedicated to Arkham. However, various snippets of information regarding this band could be found on the various sites dedicated to Univers Zero. However the best source of information regarding Arkham would be the Cuneiform Records website.
However, should you have any further information regarding Arkham that could be added to the site, do not hesitate to contact me.