ARAMED FORCES OF SIMANTIPAK

Do you like Queen music but were afraid that they were not enough Prog to be masterpiece ? Well, this is your lucky day, because there is Khatsaturjan now, combining extremely melodic with Many elements ---> Renaissance like music, choirs, preludes a su-ludes (when we suppose su as suffix).

Or should I say Symphonic, as this is big concept project intended to be homage to 20th century composer, Aram Khachaturian and it is recommended to read his biography, listen to some of his works, but it's not compulsory. His story is quite sad, one of those underrated and banned persons in mankind history. It helps me to understand the music better.

However, music here is more complex than those of Queen. Of course, they weren't trying to be complex, band difficult to "understand", but they've been making good music anyway.

Aramed Forces of Simantipak is album that I dare to say will address almost everyone, but mostly those who enjoy listening orchestrated music. Even most of classical instruments are simulated, it's really mostly just feeling of orchestra, nothing real, because there are just standard Prog rock instruments.

Singing is good, language is English and this fact makes interesting analogy, when we assume that they are Swedish band singing about Armenian composer, who was at time part of Soviet realm, while singing it all in English.

Album is long and I'm glad for that, because the more of this music, the better. I don't think that there is one particular single strong track, they all are composition which can be separated, but when together, it makes solid block (no, not Soviet block please).

5(-), because after so many hours of listening, I still feel good when listening it. And of course, because of mentioned reasons.

Unique experience.

At the dawn of the millenium came in life this bunch of young friends and musicians from Vantaa, Finland, initially producing rock adaptions of Classical pieces.A mini-album under the title ''Aramsome Sums'' with five original tracks and two Classical reworkings was Khatsaturjan's first studio attempt in 2002.From 2004 and on the Finnish quartet of Jaakko Koikkalainen, Atte Kurri, Ilkka Piispala and Ilkka Saarikivi started working on their first full-length release, abandoning the Classical adaptions and focusing on original compositions.The band was eventually picked up by Musea Records and their debut ''Aramed Forces of Simantipak'' saw the light in June 2006.

Borrowing elements from the Classic Prog era and using the perfection of today's techniques, Khatsaturjan came up with a harmonic, melodious and demanding album with strong YES, GENESIS and GENTLE GIANT influences, reminding a lot of SPOCK'S BEARD and BRIGHTEYE BRISON.This is an album closer to the likes of the vintage Progressive Rock fan (though it sounds nothing close to Retro Prog) than the lover of heavier modern releases.The musicianship is strongly based on careful vocal harmonies, piano interludes and paces, atmospheric synths, elegant guitars and a solid rhythm section with constant changes between light interplays, heavy vocal contents and some easy-going tunes.And there is also a fair dose of vintage keyboards used like the harpsichord, church organ and Hammond organ, played with a tendency towards the fields of Classical Music.The compositions are definitely well-crafted with even some string sections added for good measure, balanced between atmospheric and more technical themes, and having a very strong symphonic mood throughout.

The final taste of this listening is positive but at the end there is a feeling that Khatsaturjan did not add anything new to a scene already stuffed with groups trying to capture this magical 70's feeling.Yet their music is damn good to just pass by and ''Aramed Forces of Simantipak'' will fill plenty of your time with decent old-school Progressive/Symphonic Rock.Recommended.

This is the second release by KHATSATURJAN from Finland, but the first official one since the self-financed Aramsome Sums (2002) is announced to be a demo. In fact, the band could have worked that one a bit more and have it released properly by Musea Records (who thought it to be slightly too short), but they decided to make a brand new album instead. Respect! Roughly a year was spent on mostly domestic recordings, without a producer outside the group. The album was finished in August 2005 and released by Musea the next summer.

"The classical influences still were an important starting point, and now we made bigger arrangemets, including also choir and strings", Atte Kurri told in his band biography. A prog magazine reviewer wrote of this nearly 68-minute work, that at times it sounds like early QUEEN, at times like FRANK ZAPPA, or ELP, Weather Report, Yes or Genesis. Yeah, the music is indeed bold and eclectic, loaded with delicious complexity and wide dynamics. The classically influenced details in both compositional structures and arrangements are skillfully stirred into the rock context. Listen to the harpsichord and violin in 'Advent Rise' for example. The massive epic titled 'The Mass' has a section in which harpsichord plays the tune of Georg Friedrich Händel, as if nodding to the band's beginnings when playing the classical music pieces was more central.

The vocals themselves (all four core members do them) may sound a bit amateurish, but the ambitious way they are used deserves applause. Khatsaturjan's adventurous prog combines some of the GENTLE GIANT eclectism, the playful wit of 10CC or KLAATU, and the pompousness of YES. [Sorry if I repeat myself from the earlier reviews.] The many-layered sound is quite keyboard oriented - but quite free of Emersonian bravado - and coated with vocal harmonies, but happily there are enough more peaceful and acoustic elements to avoid the sense of overload. Not a five-star masterpiece but an amazing and highly energetic prog album!

FINNISH PROG : Part Two

This beautiful and fascinating band name belongs to a Finnish four piece formation, all members play keyboards and sing. The band released 3 albums between 2006 and 2015, this review is about their highly acclaimed debut CD.

The music Armed Forces Of Simantipak sounds melodic, varied and very pleasant, a kind of Art-Rock. Remarkable are the lush keyboard sound and the frequently changing climates, especially in the long tracks.

Oh, Cosmic Pearl: from bombastic and a mid-tempo with fluent synthesizer flights to dreamy with classical guitar and sensitive Grand piano.

Scenario Triangular: from slow with howling guitar and wailing cello to swinging with powerful vocals.

The Mass: wonderful Grand piano and a strong build-up wit houtstanding interplay between harpsichord, guitar and piano.

The strong English vocals have a slight accent and we can enjoy lots of vocal harmonies. And the music contains plenty of interesting mucical ideas, it sounds very tasteful and elaborate,and, last but not least, original.

A promising debut CD, but you have to be up to the huge variety and pretty original musical approach, but isn't that what genuine prog is about?!

My rating: 3,5 star.