Pentacle -

Pentacle was a French symphonic-rock band that released the album La Clef des Songes on Arcane in 1975.

Members: Claude Ménétrier (organ, Moog, synthesizer, piano), Michel Roy (drums, backing vocals), Gérard Reuz (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocals), Richard Treiber (bass, acoustic guitar)

Background

Pentacle formed in 1971 in Belfort, Franche-Comté, when keyboardist Claude Ménétrier, drummer/backing vocalist Michel Roy, bassist/acoustic guitarist Richard Treiber, and guitarist/lead vocalist Gérard Reuz converged on the local symphonic-rock circuit. They developed through regional shows, building arrangements centered on organs, synthesizers, and acoustic/electric guitar interplay.

Their approach aligned with contemporaries in the French progressive movement and drew interest from Ange’s Christian Décamps, who later produced their album. Live recordings show the group capable of varying material beyond studio structures. They disbanded in 1976 after the album failed to expand their exposure.

La Clef des Songes

Pentacle released their singular album, La Clef des Songes, in May 1975 on Arcane.

The record favors pastoral, space-leaning symphonic rock with prominent organs, Moog synthesizer leads, and contrasting acoustic and electric guitar figures, marking their only studio statement with the full Belfort lineup. The group wrote all six tracks collectively.

Across the program, synthesizers rise in contoured figures, organs support vocal entrances, and electric guitar punctuates lifts and breaks. Shorter songs settle into restrained vocal passages with acoustic detail, while the longest track expands through shifting sections, evolving guitar tone, and intermittent tempo changes.

A1. “La Clef des Songes” [The Key of Dreams] (4:10) — A dramatic guitar-and-synth introduction drops into fragile vocals, alternating between quiet passages and full instrumental surges, with a mid-song guitar solo.
A2. “Naufrage” [Shipwreck] (4:20) — Wind sounds and faint guitar lead to strummed lines and delicate vocals; electric guitar rises near the end in long, bending phrases. Lyrically, it evokes drift, isolation, and fate.
A3. “L’Âme du Guerrier” [The Warrior’s Soul] (6:05) — Prominent bass and organ frame repeated themes; tempo lifts into piano and synthesizer runs before electric guitar intensifies. The lyrics trace courage, identity, and inner conflict.

B1. “Les Pauvres” [The Poor] (3:18) — Pastoral restraint outlines a calm vocal setting, with acoustic and electric guitars shaping a plaintive atmosphere. The text reflects on hardship and quiet struggle.
B2. “Complot” [Conspiracy] (5:00) — Organ leads into drums and synth textures, with vocals arriving before guitar enters; abundant synthesizer detail suggests tension and urgency tied to conspiracy.
B3. “Le Raconteur” [The Storyteller] (10:45) — Calm synths, organ, vocals, and drums open the long form; the tempo rises into guitar features, settles into quiet passages, and climbs toward expressive electric peaks before tapering. Themes center on narrative power and shifting perspective.

Sessions occurred at Studio de la Citadelle in Besançon in February 1975 with producer Christian Décamps and an uncredited engineer.

The band dissolved the following year. In 1995, Musea reissued La Clef des Songes to newfound acclaim.

Discography: