ABARAX

From the first chord, to the last one, magnificence.

Crying Of The Whales, a track that reminds us of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, is linked to the last track (Crying of the whales Pt II), and can also be linked to the 2nd and 3rd tracks of the promo edition: Salty Sting and Tears Of The Whales. How do you call that? Musical flexibility, and conceptuality.

Being able to enjoy music in parts, or as a whole, that is some of the essence of progressive rock.

Then you have the other tracks, that not only add to the storyline of the whales, but also give you more than a sample of the musical variation of Abarax. Psychedelic, symphonic, spacey, technical, moody and so. You'll find extended guitar-solo passages, folky acoustic guitars, sounds of singing whales, lots of sfx, choirs and more.

Besides the pink floydish style, and the ecological themes that may not suit everyone, this is a jewel in symphonic-progressive rock, that takes you through a journey, waiting to be listened to.

My rating: 5/5.

ABARAX is classified on progarchives.com as a psychedelic/space rock band, and I tend to agree with this grouping. The emphasis should be placed on Psychedelic, not Space, though. Fuzzed roaring guitars, soaring keyboards (predominantly, organ), melodic solos, strong singing mixed at the front, sumptuous backing vocals, mid-tempo throughout ? all the attributes of psychedelic rock that really rocks but never crosses the hard-rock border are present here. While all of these components do originate in the 1970s, however, this is a very modern sounding record: the production is crisp yet warm, very much in your face yet elegant at the same time. The booklet indicates that the band has two guitarists, and it shows, but there is no excessive heaviness in the sound.

Perhaps the only critical thing I have to say about this record is that the seven full-length tracks on the CD sound somewhat similar. As a symphonic prog fan, I occasionally found myself, especially during the first couple of spins, wishing there was a bit more variety, melody- and tempo-wise. Most (or even all) of the songs are in mid-tempo, with clear-cut structures. This is not to say that the BLUE ROOM is repetitive, monotonous, or tedious. God forbid! It is, rather, a classical psychedelic album, and as a result, the genre imposes its limitations.

Although, as I said, the record is very even and it's difficult to single out any songs, the tracks that do stand out immediately are the opener "Autumn Storm" (a real hit ? must be an exceptional concert song!), "Red Roses and Bullets" (a somewhat up-tempo song with a great chorus), and the final "Howard's End," with its pulsating, ominous rhythm, circular, even hypnotic structure, and loads of emotional tension. (The song's title suggests that the track is inspired by E. M. Forster's eponymous novel, and although I didn't spot any textual parallels, the atmosphere of the song does reflect the spirit of this excellent book.) Other songs are just as good, but overall, this is music painted in broad strokes, so to speak: although there are plenty of nuances (a nice acoustic fragment here or an elaborate keyboard solo there), you need quite a lot of time to listen carefully to begin to appreciate them all.

Again, it's a fantastic record that will appeal to fans of heavy prog, symphonic prog, psychedelic and all those who like good melodies, slick arrangements, and a strong sense of what the musicians want to achieve. The record is focused and it strikes home. Keep up the good work!

Due to the fact that they are situated nearby my hometown I had the chance to see them playing live for several times in the meanwhile. And I was always impressed by As We Spoke because of this special mellow atmosphere and groove, a very emotional song somehow. I'm not that good in interpreting lyrics but releatively sure this is a kind of love song. Luckily the track got a place on the album, an extraordinary methinks. Andre Blaeute's expressive voice perfectly fits here decorated with some echoes - charming, a catchy melody ... oddly ponderous drums, synth and guitar are harmonizing ... and watch out for the bass excursion in between to make it big really.

'Now we've sent you to hell, to where you belong' - Sermons & Lies sounds lovely but is an accusation as well, cryptic though who is meant. Udo Grasekamp offers fine varying synthesizer accents including string arrangements on Life, probably a leftover from early days. ABARAX are getting tough here, are contrasting due to some heavy rocking moments. Red Roses And Bullets on the other hand ventures out into mainstream territories a lot, where Howard's End is provided with a dramatic opening - first of all the vocal arrangements are something special.

This is certainly not the end of Howard ... in any case ... with intent or not, they remind me of Deep Purple's 'Child In Time' during some moments. A melodic finale for this album. Dennis Grasekamp's front guitar work is strong as usual. 'Blue Room' appears not that spectacular as for my summary ... just an effort featuring well made rock songs in order to witness some relaxed moments basically.

The similarity and influence of PINK FLOYD is undeniable, some tracks as the opener are practically cloning, but this doesn't take a bit of merit to The Crying of the Whales all their lack of originality is compensated by their excellent musicianship, intelligent and sensitive lyrics plus undeniable technical skills.

The album starts with The Crying of the Whales, if I didn't knew this album is played by ABARAX, I could swear David Gilmour is in the guitar, but the similarities don't stop there, even when the vocals are absolutely unique and the massive use of Mellotron reminds me more of GENESIS, the spirit of PINK FLOYD is present all around, even the drumming is absolutely reminiscent of Nick Mason.

But the important issue is that the music is excellent and I can't enjoy more this initial eleven minutes of good Progressive Rock.

Tears of the Whales is much more dramatic than the previous track, the sad piano and nostalgic vocals could take tears from the eyes of most listeners, very good song even when extremely nostalgic.

Salty Sting is a very strange song,.with distorted vocals, sound effects weird chorals and fantastic organ that goes in crescendo until it morphs into a soft piano section with bird chirping and sounds of waves, honestly too New Agey for my taste.

The Journey begins with a synth and piano very sad intro, seems that due to the tragedy of the concept they have the desire to depress us, but it's still a nice song, this time with a strong Vangelis (New Age era) influence, and as in his case, don't expect dramatic variations, except for an electronic passage at the end, better than the previous one

Journey's End starts with whales crying and a tense subtle melody provided by a Gilmouresque guitar and organ, after this intro the again sad vocals enter ad begging for help, the chorus work is very nice and the PINK FLOYD oriented drums add the final touch to a beautiful ballad. The track ends with a strong guitar solo that sounds like taken from Wish you Were Here.

The tragic Whale Massacre starts with a very depressive violin intro and a very descriptive narration, the Neo Classical oriented chorus and organ add more dramatics to the already sad atmosphere, atmosphere enhanced by another slow Gilmour oriented guitar solo. Yes, every person with feelings suffers with the massacre of the whales, but we buy an album to enjoy it, not to feel guilty, and this is what ABARAX seem to pretend. The finale with organ and guitar is spectacular.

Part of Evolution begins with a distorted almost metallic guitar solo while an organ adds a baroque mood and sound effects add a special touch. I must be honest, by this point I'm totally depressed, this guys have talent, but require to be more versatile, we are not guilty of anything to be tortured with this extremely sad and repetitive music.

Natures Voice at last presents us a healthy change, even when the general atmosphere doesn't change too much, the music is far more vibrant, even though it's an AORIsh track, at least marks a change.

Point of No Return is a radical improvement, strong and full of energy, a bit of healthy pomp and a nice melody in the background, you can help a cause without taking the listener to suicide or simply take away the CD and never play it again.

All these Walls is a good song that practically summarizes everything we listened through the album , sad passages, vibrant sections,. good guitar and organ solos plus depressive vocals and leads us gently to the end with The Crying of the Whales Pt 2, more or less in the similar vein as the album opener but with less evident PPINK FLOYD references, a good closer.

Now, the album is pretty good despite it's flaws, which are lack of originality in certain passages, tracks that are too repetitive and excessive does of depression, in my case I collaborate with many animal protection groups and I'm part of the anti bullfight group, but music is my relax, not a vehicle to make me feel guilty and depressed, a little bit of energy wouldn't harm the whale's cause, by the contrary, would help it gaining more adepts.

Three stars for a good but repetitive and not so original album, due to the fact that there's no 2.5 stars option, because I believe that would be closer to my impression of the music.

This ABARAX debut trys to tell the imaginative truth about the whales. The band needed 'two years of research and never ending mind games' to realize an ambitious concept with suitable lyrics and booklet pictures. So it is a flaming appeal for the protection of Mother Earth and especially the whales. The majority of the slowtempo songs is well composed and arranged with excellent vocals and guitar work - sometimes very Gilmour like. They are in a mood as if they had accompanied the whales across the ocean - combined with samples and ambient soundscapes.

The title song is to point out - split in two sections - a nice relaxed song with wonderful guitar playing. Part 1 offers a breathtaking outro introduced by the crying of the whales - excellent! 'We must live together like a man and wife' - Part 2 contains a spoken word message and closes with a reminiscence to 'Echoes'. Whale massacre' - the longest track - has a depressive atmosphere depending on the story. 'Part Of Evolution' is convincing me with the combination of a hard rock/metal guitar at the beginning followed by a simple text refrain and space/psychedelic keyboard and guitar - very good. 'Natures voice' is a nice ballad and 'Point of no return' differs to the other songs because it is a rocking piece.

'Crying of the whales' refers to Pink Floyd but has its own unique style. Recommended to fans of calm space/psychedelic or symphonic rock music - 3.5 stars.

Mixing politics and prog rock does not happen that much which is a good thing I believe. But as long as the concern is mother nature I see nothing wrong in doing so.

It is also a major point of interest in Germany (not the whales but environment in general). The suite "Crying Of The Whales" (two parts for a total of more than 18 minutes) is very melodic and at times "spacey" (reminds me often of Land's End).

Second part has an intro à la "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (you would agree that there are worse references, right ?). It is the most accomplish and the best track here. The spacey moments are present as well in the mini-suite "The Journey - Journey's End". Same Land's End (early period) influences.

Vocals are not great but above average for a German band although this problem really arises in the short tracks "The Tears of the Whales" and "Salty Sting". Text is more read that sung. The longest track "Whale Massacre" is quite emotional and pessimistic. Shall we really let that happen ? Wonderful guitar solo to close the number.

Same applies to "Nature's Choice" with good vocals as well. "Point of No Return" is the most rocky song. Kansas like (not only due to its title). This is a well balanced track : instrumental & vocals perfectly combined. Same type of construction for "All These Walls" : mellow vocal intro that leads to a brilliant guitar solo. This is symphonic at his best. Maybe lacking of personality but still a very good first effort.

Four stars.

Abarax is a side project of a band called A TASTE OF TIMELESS (ATOT), who also make excellent prog and prog influenced music. I came across ATOT and Abarax on the now defunct MP3.COM (not the current site of that name) where many of their songs were available in full , a time of writing samples of their music plus the occasional full track are still available on the bands' own websites.

"Crying of the whales" is a concept album which "describes the imaginative truth about the whales and the reasons for their existence". If this sounds a little corny, the band have at least largely avoided the clichéd use of whale sounds and sonar pulses (although they are there occasionally!).

Musically, Pink Floyd (in particular the guitar sound of David Gilmour), are by far the strongest of the band's influences, although they do acknowledge the inspiration of a number of other prog bands. The female lead vocals also offer similarities to the music of Mostly Autumn, another band who wear their Pink Floyd influences on their sleeves.

The album is made up of a number of feature tracks, interspersed with shorter, generally more commercial songs. The opening "Crying of the whales, part 1" is an 11 minute epic with spoken narrative conveying an ecological message, strong melodies, and a wonderful long guitar solo. The track title is reprised at the end of the album in a similar way to "Shine on you crazy diamond" on "Wish you were here".

"Whale Massacre" at 13 minutes, is the longest track. After a solo violin intro, we are presented with a dramatic narrative spoken from a whale's perspective, including emotive statements such as "you kill for joy". The choruses have a requiem feel, the sadguitar being reminiscent of "Dead London" from "War of the worlds". About midway through the track, a more distinctive rhythm kicks in, the harmonic chorus leading to another fine long guitar piece. "All these walls" is the other lengthy piece, the guitar work once again being the dominant feature.

Of the shorter tracks, "The journey" has an ambient Oldfield/Enya feel, "Journey's end" is a powerful ballad with yet more superb guitar, and "Nature's voice" is a commercial song with a more orthodox rock backing.

While the music of Abarax, and indeed A Taste of Timeless will never win any awards for originality, they do make excellent music with strong prog influences, and highly competent musicianship.

Recommended.