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IN SEARCH OF THE SOUL TREES

Asturias

Neo-Prog


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Asturias In Search Of The Soul Trees album cover
4.01 | 60 ratings | 4 reviews | 30% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2008

Songs / Tracks Listing

- PART 1 :
1. I - Spirits (6:08)
2. II - Revelation (3:39)
3. III - Reincarnation (3:08)
4. IV - Fountain (3:52)
5. V - Woods (6:27)
- PART 2 :
6. VI - Pilgrimage (3:37)
7. VII - Paradise (6:03)
8. VIII - Storm (3:31)
9. IX - Soul Trees (10:40)
10. X - Dawn (3:22)

Total time 50:27

Bonus track on 2014 reissue:
11. Dança Das Borboletas - 2014 (8:54)

Line-up / Musicians

- Yoh Ohyama / acoustic, Spanish & electric guitars, mandolin, bass, keyboards, synth programming, cello, harp, glockenspiel, percussion, composer, arranger, producer

With:
- Kanako Itoh / vocals
- Hassy / vocals
- Satoshi Hirata / guitar (3)
- Tsutomu Kurihara / guitar (5)
- Haruhiko Tsuda / guitar (6)
- Akira Hanamoto / Mellotron (1,3,8)
- Yoshihiko Kawagoe / piano (2,10)
- Kaori Tsutsui / clarinet & recorders (1,2,7)
- Kyoko Itoh / violin (1,5)
- Misa Kitatsuji / violin (9)
- Shigeo Sasaki / drums (2,4,8)
- Aya Nasuno / percussions

Releases information

Artwork: Jiro Oshima

CD Musea ‎- FGBG 4791 (2008, France)
CD Asturias ‎- AS-0004 (2014, Japan) With a bonus track

Thanks to windhawk for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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ASTURIAS In Search Of The Soul Trees ratings distribution


4.01
(60 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(30%)
30%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(47%)
47%
Good, but non-essential (20%)
20%
Collectors/fans only (2%)
2%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

ASTURIAS In Search Of The Soul Trees reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by DamoXt7942
FORUM & SITE ADMIN GROUP Avant/Cross/Neo/Post Teams
4 stars With fresh air...

ASTURIAS has come back with the masterpiece. Their passion and motivation are not lost In Search Of The Soul Trees at all. Please listen at first.

Spiritsshows exactly spirits dancing with pleasure. The key instrument should be Yoh's acoustic guitar, added with keyboard, synth strings, horn sections, and electric sounds. Feel that some spirits are dancing...sometimes quietly, and sometimes actively...little by little flying up toward the sky...and away from us abruptly. On Revelation piano backing is so beautiful and impressive. In the latter part, passionate electric guitar sounds are great, and of course steady and strict rhythm sections can construct the part completely. The last battle with multi-instruments should be like shining stars. Reincarnation - Fountain has the important point of repeated keyboard backing. All sounds are streaming smoothly, and let me say especially in the middle part of Fountain piano solo should make me weep deeply. As if I was dreaming an illusory dream I can feel... Go further away. Exactly mysterious Woods. What can I find in the wood and trees? Lots of plants and animals are living there calmly but powerfully. Of course, I am! Beautiful piano solo and violin sounds are in Pilgrimage. Rhythmical percussions follows and we can feel as if we should walk and climb up the soul mountain TOWARD A CLOUD IN THE SKY (the next song)...how do you feel? :-) Well, over the cloud is Paradise. Oh, absolutely fantastic world. With piano and recorder chandelier and stardusts around us, we can enjoy a momentary dreamy dream...without any forebodings of Storm... Suddenly! Sharply electronic and percussive rainstorm has attacked and driven us away. Umm...can we stand...until helpful Soul Trees coming. No problem. After the storm, a wonderful world will open! Soul trees with kind mind can defend us from every hard, horrible and painful thing. All instruments - guitars, keyboards, synths, drums & percussion, strings - complexly are twined around the soul trees and lead them to the sky quietly...I feel so. The remnant is only fresh air around us.

With fantastic feeling. The story is surely ASTURIAS itself!

Review by Raff
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Since Asturias mastermind Yoh Ohyama has been often called the Japanese Mike Oldfield, the similarities between his music and that of the English multi-instrumentalist will not come as too much of a surprise. However, it would be very unfair to tag Asturias as a clone band, as here we are mainly referring to similarities in the structuring of albums, and in the emphasis on instrumental compositions rather than conventional songs.

"In Search of the Soul Trees" is a wholly instrumental effort, a suite divided in two parts, each comprising five sections. The concept on which it is based has with a definite 'new-age' flavour - a spiritual journey deeply rooted in nature, the titles of the various sections suggest. Even though all this might sound rather déjà vu, the good news is that the music actually succeeds in reflecting the content, and makes for a worthwhile listening experience.

For the recording of this album Ohyama has gathered an impressive roster of talented musicians to complement his own remarkable skills. The result is a rich, well-rounded orchestral sound, with lots of variation within the same section to keep the listeners' attention alive. The natural flow and clarity of the music make the listening experience a real pleasure, even for those who are not particularly into instrumental albums. Moreover, each of the ten sections of the suite seems to have a sort of personality of its own that allows it to stand alone.

Opener Spirits immediately sets the tone, with a recurring main theme weaving in and out of the composition, and seamless interaction between the plentiful instruments. Some of the keyboard passages can bring to mind the trademark Canterbury sound, while the lilting sound of the glockenspiel provides an evocative, magical note. More Canterbury references crop up in Reincarnation, which also features some Spanish-flavoured, acoustic guitar licks, and Fountain, with its brisk, march-like drum pattern. The first half of the suite closes with the stunningly beautiful Woods, a stately piece richly woven with strands of violin, guitar and keyboards, as well as liberal sprinklings of sweetly chiming glockenspiel.

The keyboard-led Pilgrimage opens Part 2, followed by the beautiful Paradise - featuring some ethereal chanting, as well as the deep, mournful sound of the cello and the more uplifting ones of the recorder and the harpsichord. On the other hand, in Storm Asturias come very close to prog-metal territory (not surprisingly, given the title), opening with driving keyboards and guitar, then alternating gentler passages with more energetic ones. The album culminates with the majestic Soul Trees - a genuinely symphonic piece that gives equal space to every instrument, and a real delight for the dedicated prog fan - with lyrical, baroque strings, emotional lead guitar, lush keyboards, even the tinkling sound of bells. The gentle strains of Dawn, a long duet between piano and a beautifully clean-sounding guitar then bring the album to a perfect close.

"In Search of the Soul Trees" is sure to appeal to fans of well-crafted, skilfully played instrumental music with plenty of melody and atmosphere. Another excellent offering from the contemporary Japanese prog scene, and a solid 4-star rating.

Latest members reviews

4 stars After two jazzy and purely accoustic opus, Asturias is back on the prog and rock track with SEARCH OF THE SOUL TREES and the re-apparition of the electric guitar, mellotron and drums on a significant level. Mike Oldfield influence as well is back full strenght on learly all tracks. Fountain ... (read more)

Report this review (#726271) | Posted by franp | Friday, April 13, 2012 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Yoh Ohyama leads this Japanese chamber rock ensemble through a collection of elegant and scored pieces which come together well as two separate pieces on In Search of the Soul Trees. Earlier albums from Ohyama include 1988's Circle In the Forest, Brilliant Streams two years later and Cryptogra ... (read more)

Report this review (#534933) | Posted by BGrosjean | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 | Review Permanlink

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