by Gary Hill
Although originally released in 1986, Rencontres was reissued by Cuneiform. The original was an independent release. Cuneiform, in reissuing the album, has also added four songs originally available on a cassette-only album from the same year. The music presented on this album holds up quite well, remaining one of the best by the band. The album features vocals, something that does not show up in the remainder of Miriodor's catalog. Much of the music includes arrangements that are in many ways more lush and superior to much of the remainder of the group's material. This one seems to have more of an emphasis on melody and the more traditional school of progressive rock than later releases. These things make it a good choice for the less-adventurous prog fan. Since it does differ quite a bit from the rest of their music, it might not be the best introduction to the band, though.