AREKNAMÉS

Whenever Areknamés name comes up Van Der Graaf Generator are usually also mentioned in the same sentence and listening to this debut album I´d say that comparison is entirely true. The sound and musical style on this album is very similar to the dark progressive rock of Van Der Graaf Generator. I would probably also add Genesis in their darkest hour to the list of influences. So it´s safe to say that Areknamés are strongly influenced by 70s progressive rock. There is a considerable amount of guitars featured in Areknamés sound that sets the music apart from Van Der Graaf Generator but when lead vocalist Michele Epifani sings it´s hard not to be reminded of Peter Hammill. The voice, the rhythm, and the melody lines are all pretty similar to Hammill´s ditto.

So there is a definite clone factor in the music that might turn some people off. The music is generally very dark and atmospheric with great contrasts between heavy sections and more mellow parts. There are also plenty of epic moments on the album such as the closing minutes of "Grain Of Sand Lost In The Sea". The lyrics are generally very gloomy which suits the already sinister atmosphere on the album well but the track "Boredom" does seem like an attempt at having some fun.

The musicianship on the album are on a high level and is definitely among one of the assets on the album. Michele Epifani is quite the multi-instrumentalist in addition to being a strong vocalist. He plays organ, electric piano, Mellotron, synthesizers, harpsichord, acoustic & electric guitars and recorder on the album. The drums are handled by Mino Vitelli and the bass are played by Piero Ranalli. Don´t expect a stripped down trio sound though, this is huge sounding when the three guys let loose.

The sound production relatively well sounding, but there are some issues and as a consequence there are moments on the album that doesn´t sound fully professional. It´s a minor issue though and if you think back on some of sound productions of the 70s, this one is almost hi-fi quality in comparison. "Areknamés" is overall an intriguing and promising debut album and if you can live with the fact that the band aren´t exactly original sounding and borrow a lot of ideas and sounds from their 70s progressive rock heroes, this is a recommended listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Share this AREKNAMÉS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to UMUR
• Report this review (#260919)
• Buy AREKNAMÉS music online with PA partners
• Show all AREKNAMÉS MP3/Stream
• Go to AREKNAMÉS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Areknamés page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for AREKNAMÉS related discussions