AKO DOMA

Ako Doma's music is a scoop of less known prog rock, but also has its impurities or its "new-culture" leanings. Despite that it isn't hard to get their works, it's on the other hand a bit hard to savor them completely, every spin taking you deep in liking their art and, more important, hearing the progressive roar, but leaving something unresolved. This applies for everything done by the band. Their self-titled album dates from 1999, done at a late mark of six years since the ensemble formed. Quite short, EP-ish, lasting only 30 rounded-up minutes, having to offer only five tracks, of an average 5-6 minutes (the longest lasts 8). Inside Ako Doma's overall achievements, this ain't no soft in-search-of-identity debut, but a kick-off into decent, solid, characteristic feature the band will use, in the same way, afterwards. The following longer album 52 is way better, instead I personally wouldn't be so sure their third album is a step further (making this quick-step debut, in that case, the lowest on stars), mainly because it raises more problems and suspicions than this one and the next altogether. By comparison, Ako Doma is not bad at all, but bright, to-the-point and energetic.

Judging by the style, the Slovakian quintet is clearly a play-oriented group of musicians, though surpassing light measures and putting up some artistic thoughts, in certain spot, as well. The cult for progressiveness can be very well noticed and pointed down the structural section, inspiring a good note for achieved complexity, even if the naturally dense musicality could have opened to a deeper subtlety. The same cult, however, regarding how the music concretely sounds, can risk being a bit more arguable. In this tight format, Ako Doma is a performance affluent in vitality, profound in its instrumental identity, satisfactory in its melodic/dynamic steady print, while the no-keyboard quintet plays with the desire to prove a lot or at least to escape saying both mellow and loud/extreme things. Saxophonist Tatiana Siládiová is to take great credit, being actually a lead player, given the large & long, soothing and exciting in the same times done entries; the reply is served mostly by Jozef Stefanatný's guitar. Not to forget is Ivan Geso's decisive drumming. These being said, the 5 pieces we're dealing with on this album should mostly direct you towards an influenced, developed but reasonably crafted dark instrumental rock, with progressive timings and modern tinges, but also with a full side of jazzy, fusion-like or jam-initiated colors. Neither soft, neither ravenous, not at all bad, while a bit too casual, if honestly reviewed.

Vôňa dázďoviek (I'm gonna stick to the original titles) is a charming if light moment for practicing dynamic rock tunes, the sax headlining a spicy, pop-ish leitmotif that blends in as much as it sounds clear to the ear. The rapture into improvising this theme is worthwhile. Uz works on modern heavy/eclectic modes, even dealing concretely with odd, heterogeneous time signatures and intervals; I won't accentuate too much the impression of a King Crimson influence, because it's a banal thing to say when considering the way things evolve and/or are improvised, alas I think it's out of the question to miss it, as in to not feel it. Jesenná is where Ako Doma try more bass fusion and bring the melodies up to a free-sound, this particular piece also appearing on the future 52 , with added vocals that impress a lot less. Already by the time Caravan (apparently a Duke Ellington cover) kicks in, you can notice how, on one hand, the sax rests while the guitar is now the lead excellent instrument, burning ember, with cool, swift technical or stunt-like improvs, and, on the other hand, from complex rock and prog elements, the new upbeat is...well, exactly that: beat-background music on a jam session of funny, far or concentrated lines. Kapucín keeps up the unison, ending the short album lightly, but not without a guitar-sax communion finally happening. Lots to feel in these 30 minutes, lots to talk about, after.

A good if not also important stronger album in the band's career, unlikely however to reach more than a good grade, but even less possible to be acknowledged lower. Three stars.