ARS NOVA

The music is quite rich. They are continuously playing with more than one line. Apart from the main keyboard, there's always at least another one doing a contrapunctual voice underneath. This makes the music rather interesting and roomy. Moreover, they change "instrumentation" (timbres) quite often, and there are no extended solos: they keep changing sections and trading phrases between different instruments, producing a very varied song layout. And the rhythm-section from Gerard is great.

The main drawback is a little uniformity of the songs, and the aforementioned lack of variation in dynamics, sufficiently compensated by the constant evolution of the music. As it happens with other Japanese groups, there's a bit too "exact" a beat, or maybe a lack of relaxation points, everything is just a bit too loud, pressing, it's difficult to describe; generally I like it, but sometimes it is a little excessive. And I think the female singer and the choruses fit better with the music than the guest male singer, who maybe overdoes a bit his dramatic role.

As ZowieZiggy says, this album is on the edge between three and four stars. I'll give them four.

In this line, they usually take influences from everything that may enhance the musical experience, normally they choose between Italian Prog with AOR leanings of ELP oriented sound with extreme pomp.

"The Goddess of Darkness" by ARS NOVA is in my opinion the peak of the style, Keiko Kumagai is a well trained keyboardist, with great dexterity in the Moog. Mellotron and piano, she is clearly influenced by the powerful sound of bands like ELP or TRACE, but adds an extra doze of brilliance and pomp, seems to have horror to silent spaces,. because she covers each instant with music and sounds.

But the band wouldn't sound the same without the rhythm section formed by Kyoko Kanazawa (Bass) and Akiko Takahashi in the drums, with whom they work as a metronome and form a power trio capable of big things.

Wanted to review each and every track, but it would take me hours and mare space than the one available, because here are so many complex characteristics in a few minutes of music, so I will choose the three songs that impressed me more.

The album starts with the sober and impressive "Morgan - The Fate Awaits Inevitable", after a delicate intro, the band morphs into a some sort of tortured ELP where the massive use of Synths will attract any Symphonic fan, it's almost unbelievable to see the fragile Keiko Kumagai hitting the keys with such fury, the song is like an Emersonian nightmare with echoes of Bartok and Janacek, of course the strong drumming enhances the effect.

The structure is amazingly complex, the changes are so radical that nobody will expect what comes next, pure strength and musical skills.

If Morgan broke schemes, "Fury - The Daughter And The Simoom After The Simoom" is even harder, this time ARS NOVA sounds closer to a formal style like in the case of PAR LINDH PROJECT, again no time for rest, the band bombards us with sounds and elaborate music from start to end, never taking the foot of fuel, seems like this band only knows to give all they have without rest.

This time some Baroque passages take the listener for surprise, and to make it harder, Kumagai makes the Hammond shout in pain blending the tortured screams with clear piano sections, and as surprisingly as it started, the song ends.

"The Gorgons - Never Look at her eyes" is a bit softer, more fluid but this doesn't mean the song is free of drama and strength, trying to describe it is futile because it's so dark mysterious and elaborate with an amazing piano and orchestration, but at the same time contradictory, few moments of calm and again all the strength they are capable of , really versatile band with an out of this world keyboardist.

I use to avoid Japanese Prog because of it's excessive eclecticism, a mistake I will make no more, this album is essential, so any rating bellow 4 stars is irrational.

Keiko Kumagai is probably this gorgeous girl on cover. She's so pretty and not at all Japanese looking here + when you consider her keyboard skills, her giving a lot of band's ideas and this erotic style her own (Android Domina, various photos), you can't help but think that's a quite weird combination. Not bad, just strange. Babel Tower on her head, bird eating a man from Bosch's famous painting (one of two I have in my room, second one is Eden by him too, so every time I see something from it, connection between this artwork and this where I see it is stronger.

4(+) stars for almost masterpiece. Well, sad truth is that there are few worse parts which does not fit me aat all in overall composition. But as depiction of Hell (don't forget about it) it's flawless.

How should the scene go, with three talented HEROINES?

In the first track Morgan, Keiko's keyboard say gracefully to us that our fate should be already formed stably and we cannot struggle away from here forever. The first few phrases may let us enter into the dark area of our mind. The synth string sounds and rumbling guitar ones are active, aggressive and so violent I feel. I can understand Keiko can 'imagine' the tune fit for her solemn and spiritual imagination about the land of the dead. Meanwhile about the tune itself, their play are completely steady and united without any blur. That is, Keiko's imagination is not fuzzy but strict and stable. Let me say, yes, the story is really the story and should go ahead without hesitating - should make clear visions in our brain. Not only by the approach of heavy rock but also of classic, they can play flexibly and make 'visible sounds' as it is said. Fury has very speedy stream of sounds and heavy riffs. Absolutely we can shout THIS IS FEMININE POWER! Strong and soulful intention of three ladies is only one - really an impressive bodyattack with strangling sounds. Forgive me but this song always reminds me they play with sweat gushing out. :-) More heavy and darker scene has come here by The Gorgons - a messenger from the hell. Well indeed Gorgon is a goddess, with an ability letting a people looking at her be a stone. But why? From The Gorgons here we can feel some tragedies. We, altered into stones, can weep with some teardrops. What weird, but graceful Goddesses they should be! Keiko's keyboard, Kyoko's bass, and Akiko's drum can shout, cry, and whisper with complex words to us. Ainsel gets started with dry and scattered piano noises. Avantgarde keyboard sounds follow and develop. Hm, some classical melodies we should have heard somewhere before...should knock our brain continually. May not be relaxed by the song - although there are much classical essense with their passion. I see, their passion itself should be suspicious - it should make us anxious fully. Kali should be suitable for the last track of this album. Again very speedy keyboard solo and heavy bass sounds can let us palpitate speedily. And painful scene should face the death with some parts just like Zarathustra by Museo Rosenbach.

No fantasy, but spiritual tragedy. Watch, not listen.

I have never hidden the fact that I am a great ELP fan. Mostly because they combine melody with experimentation and classic music....... but still quite organic music. So I am therefore the target group for ARS NOVA.

Wrong.

ARS NOVA fires off their guns with three keyboards players and a wall of plastic fantastic sound. They play fast and the music is complex. In the volleys of bombastic keyboards, they have forgotten what ELP always remembered: Organic melodies. Yes, ARS NOVA is impressive musicians and there are some good stuff here (thankfully, I do not have to give it one star). But most of this album is one large nothing. There is not much of a melody here and the ideas are pretty shallow. It is almost painful music in it's dullness. It is totally over the top music. It is a soundtrack for a violent Japanese film. It is not my cup of tea.

2 stars.

Though Japan have a wide and rich prog rock scene, Ars Nova was the first japanese prog band i ever heard anything about and the more i learned about this band more i liked it. Eventually, i found this album, Android Domina. It drew my attention not only because it is an Ars Nova album, but also because of its porn cover, where both keyboardists, Keiko Kumagai and Mika Nakajima, are wearing bondage clothing and doing a sexy pose (note: the cover of the album i have is not the one that is in PA).

When i checked the music inside the album i was both very content and discontent. I was very content because the music is very good, à lá Ars Nova: powerful dual keyboards (something that only Ars Nova, as far as i know, does) with big ELP influences (though the bass part here was made by a keyboard), but without sounding derivative nor emulative, something they have being doing since The Goddess of Darkness. Another good point here is that, for the first time, there were vocals with words in their music, something they never made before (maybe Keiko is learning more than basic english now, but who knows. . .).

However, besides the good points, there is something i just hated in this album: there were many cracks and some background hiss through the whole album. That just cannot happen these days, when technology in the mastering, mixing and recording process made fixing those inconvenient noises so easy and cheap.

Although those noises were a problem in a time where high definition is the rule, the music mostly overcame it. the highlights of this album are: Android Domina, All Hallow's Eve and Bizarro Ballo In Maschera. Actually, a big part of the cracks and hisses are in the song Android Domina.

Grade and Final Thoughts

A nice album with very good songs and a bondage pin-up cover, enough said. 3 stars, that's it.

EDIT: I have been listening to this album a lot in the past couple of months and i reached the conclusion that i have overrated this album. The production and mixing problems they have here (the hisses and cracks) are just unacceptable with our current technology, so I downgraded Android Domina from 4 stars to 3 stars.

The music is heavily rooted in the seventies symphonic scene, even though it is mostly more modern sounding keyboards being used. UK is abigg influence in the keyboard sound department. The album is instrumental and the themes played by the keybord are mainly classical inspired. Thus the ELP clone rumours.

The musicians are competent and of course, as this is heavily dominated by keyboard, the keyboardist Keiko Kumagai stands out in the soundscape as he is the most spectacular one. The rythm section is also very good though.

I enjoy the album very much even though it´s not the kind of music I will listen to every day. 3 stars from me to Fear & Anxiety.

All the numbers have been revisited and some sound rather different than their original counterparts. The opening number "Succubus" is as wild as on "Android Domina": lush and bombastic keyboards, but some furious guitar has been added (same applies to "Horla Rising" from "Android Domina" as well). "Horla" features grandiose and melodic synthesizer and it is worth an attentive spin.

During most of their career, the band was limited to a trio (bass, drums and keys), but there was already a change with their previous record "Biogenesis" which featured Arjen Lucassen as a guest; and I have to say that the addition of this instrument is not a bad thing.

There are two songs from their second opus : "Transi" and "Nova". The latter is another highlight of this work. A keyboards firework fully dynamic but melodic as well. A great digest of their work.

The least interesting of this whole compilation effort is "The 42 Gods" from "The Book of Dead". Too much performance oriented IMHHO.

I am also disappointed by the rendition of "Metamorphosis". I far much preferred the original released on "Biogenesis". This is indeed a "Metamorphose" like it is newly called here. The guitar is not well received here. It converts this track too much in a Crimson mood. Too bad because the original work was one of my fave from this band.

This is a pleasant manner to access the band. It allows you to discover their ELP-ish universe and it's up to you to decide if you want to investigate more of their work (of which my preferred album is "Android Domina").

The band announces a new album for the summer of 2008. They are currently recording it and a full time guitar player is now part of the band (Satoshi, the one featured here as well). Hopefully, it will be in the vein of "Android".

Three stars.

This album sounds rather different than all their previous efforts. It is a lot harder, almost prog metal at times ("Melt Down"). But in the case of "Ars Nova", the symphonic element is fortunately always present. Of course, remember that Arjen Lucassen plays the guitar on this album as a guest. A song as "Escape" is closely related to Arjen's work, that's for sure. Almost wild my prog friends.

These guests (about half a dozen) add a great value to this work, they bring another dimension and great additional sounds (guitar, violin, keyboards-which are three now).

The addition of some vocals are a plus as well IMO. It is pleasant to listen how this all-instrumental band has turned into a more traditional form. Gianni Leone (lead vocalist from the dinosaur band "Il Balleto Di Bronzo") is rather convincing during his parts. But don't worry if you are an old "Ars Nova "fan : the ELP-ish orientation is still there. The bombastic keyboards will link you with the masters very often.

Some tracks are of no interest like "Mother Earth" and the screaming "Humanoid's Breakfast" but they aren't plenty of that kind and these two together clock at less than six minutes.

This album is strong from start to finish. The delicious "Metamorphosis" is the most "ELP" oriented song. Fully instrumental, it features brilliant musicianship, it is finely symphonic but with such a great beat! The best track out of this offering IMHHO. Fully bombastic. Staggering.

Difficult for "Against the Meteors" to reach that level, but the heavy keyboards are all mighty and make of this one a really powerful track.

But what should be the big one here is the epic and closing number : "Trust to the Future". Over fifteen minutes of a great symphonic journey (during ten minutes). Maybe too pompous at times, but it is mixed with some childish vocals (à la "Teru's Symphonia") typical for Asian female vocals.

This song is of course complex. An hymn to synthesizers, but not only since the excellent violinist from P.F.M. (Lucio Fabbri) plays some very good parts and the theatrical vocal style of Gianni Leone fits perfectly well this melodic piece of music. But the last third of this song is somewhat chaotic. Too bad.

This album is on the edge between three and four stars. Seven out of ten.

Three stars.