MAVARA

Iran is one of the last places on the planet someone would expect a Western influenced progressive rock band to emerge from but that's exactly what happened when composer / keyboardist Farhood Ghadiri formed MAVARA in 2001. The band name translates from Persian into "Beyond Everything You Think," which is an excellent attitude for someone residing in one of the world's largest theocracies. The band has had a rather rotating lineup over its history and has performed extensively in Tehran and the neighboring city of Karaj from where the band started.

Having been the first truly progressive rock band in all of Iran, MAVARA found they attracted attention rather quickly and received acclaim from the Tehran Industry and Science University as "Best Rock Band at a Live Performance," an accolade that was carried on to an internet music festival called "Teheran Avenue" in 2003 and 2005. While the band has resided in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the US after gaining work visas to tour the US and now records their albums in the English language, on this first album ULTIMATE SOUND despite having an English title was all recorded in the Persian language.

The band has been compared to Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Dream Theater but in reality doesn't sound like any other band that i have heard despite the obvious influences from all of the above. While the MAVARA's albums all have different overall themes and sounds, this debut album is characterized by a rather pop infused run of melodic tracks that range in complexity and duration ranging from near 4 minutes to near 8. ULTIMATE SOUND finds eight solid musicians, Ashkan Hamedi (vocals), Farhood Ghadiri (synths), Anis Oveissi (keyboards, piano), Arash Radan (guitars), Sina khodaieefar (bass) and Milad Gazizade (drums) all working in tandem to create crossover symphonic prog sound.

Tracks are generally on the mellow side but some tracks such as "I Am Human" crank out some serious metal riffs. Like the album title, many of the track titles are also in English but the lyrics are exclusively sung in Persian which is an interesting development for sure. For a Persian band, MAVARA must have been a breath of fresh air in a nation that had never experienced the great prog boom of the 70s and MAVARA do an excellent job at constructing a new sound that fits in with their surroundings but ultimately the album doesn't come off as very original despite it not really sounding like anything else. Likewise i find Ashkan Hamedi's vocals to be a bit lackluster as everything sounds like it's too safe.

Coming into this i was really hoping to find a prog band that incorporated local ethnic flavors into their music much like other Central Asian prog bands have done but MAVARA seems like it's trying to hard to separate itself from its homeland as best it can. While some tracks are nicely constructed, there are too many such as the bland "You And I" that are fairly generic with weak grooves, bland melodies and less than stellar instrumental performances. This album runs at over 60 minutes and is far too long. While the band does a decent job of emulating the space rock and neo-prog ethics of the West, at this point it hadn't really found a way to make it sound interesting.

Iranian band MAVARA was formed back in 2001, and from their base in a country not renowned for being a fertile territory for bands exploring western-oriented music they established themselves as the premier progressive rock band in their home nation, releasing two full-length studio albums in 2005 and 2009 respectively. In 2013 Mavara relocated to the US, and released their third CD "Season of Salvation" through Transit Music Group.

The US-based Iranian band Mavara comes across as a quality provider of melodic progressive rock on their third full-length production "Season of Salvation". If you can imagine a band that combines Eloy, early Marillion and Riverside's ballads into a compelling whole you should have a fairly good idea about the music at hand here, and if this combination sounds intriguing to you, there's a good chance that you'll find this CD to be a compelling one.

I have a personal interest in this particular band. Mavara is a prog rock band out of Iran that has recently set up shop in New England, USA. In fact, they have been touring the east coast and have even made the local papers (always good to hear a prog band do that). I've become acquainted with their neo-progressive style and I simply love it. Therefore, I have a personal interest in seeing this band succeed.

Mavara, in a word, are "lush". That's what I get over and over from their music. There are no empty spaces. There are no "this could really use a little more..." passages. The music is full and fluid. The core of their sound, in my opinion, is the ethereal application of piano and synth. This impressive foundation is bolstered even more by the excellent guitar work and solos. Add a dash of powerfully mixed drums and then a bass that won't quit, and you'll have an idea of what makes Mavara tick. On top of all this, however, are Ashkan's vocals. His one-of-a-kind voice is melodic and perfect for harmonizing with the fluid feel of the keys. He is grounded, but also quite emotional in his work.

On this particular album, "Forgotten Inside", the band really established themselves. While I do enjoy their newest album, "Season of Salvation", more than this one, I can hear the making of the lushness here. "Forgotten Inside" is intensely emotional, and also quite varied musically. "Something is Lost" is synthy and groovy, while "Old Pain" is slower and very personal. Ballads and rockers abound, but anguish-filled lyrics are a constant, too. Mavara are certainly talented, and I see great things in their future.

Wonderful diversity! Gorgeous sound! The only reasons I shy away from offering 5 stars for this album is the sometimes weak vocals and the occasional feel I get of the presence of the ghosts of pseudo-prog classic rock artists like Journey, Foreigner, Whitesnake, Loverboy, Boston, and Styx. Though many song sections feel as if they are built upon chord and time sequences that come from practice exercises, I find it incredibly refreshing how each song achieves an identity all its own, how no two songs feel repetitive or niched. And this from Iran! I love the way in which the multiple instrumental tracks all work in a flowing weave together, not separately or individually, that is, the music feels like team work and feels like love and joy. If I had to name a band that they remind me of it would have to be 1990s COLLAGE. Check them out on progstreaming.com (Once again: I love you progstreaming!)

Mavara are definitely a pionner in the Rock scene of Iran.The band was formed by keyboardist Farhood Ghadiri in Karaj in 2001 and was a regular performer around the Tehran and Karaj areas.The group suffered from line-up changes in its early stages, but in 2005 they managed to release their debut ''Ultimate sound'', sung in Persian with gifted singer Ashkan Hamedi on vocals.Four years later the band takes its first attempt on releasing an album in English.Year of release 2009 and the title was ''Forgotten inside''.

Several spins later you will definitely recognize the band had made the right choice.''Forgotten inside'' is a beautilful little treasure with sensitive melodies, accesible music and excellent vocals by Hamedi, the man has a unique voice, which sounds hoarse and emotional at the same time.Regarding the music, the album does not go after any prize of complexity or intricacy.This is pretty easy-going material with a creative style, flirting with Melodic Rock, Neo Prog, Electronica and even a bit of Post Rock and Alternative Rock, clearly influenced by Hogarth-era MARILLION and PORCUPINE TREE.The tracks are basically guitar-driven with nice rhythmic parts, cool solos and careful riffs around, while the keyboards play a rather supporting role to add some depth to the sound.The overall style reminds strongly of some Polish lyrical groups like MILLENIUM, ANANKE or LOONYPARK.As so, Mavara's textures are characterized by lovely lyrical soundscapes with a smooth instrumental background, but when needed they really can rock their boots out with more fiery and pronounced electric guitars.The material is trully memorable and well-composed with some pretty great songwriting.

A nice suprise from a land you shouldn't expect.Atmospheric Neo/Art/Melodic Prog with fantastic vocals and often monumental guitar parts.Strongly recommended, this band deserves your attention...3.5 stars.

As anyone that follows my reviews knows, I'm a sucker for great cover art. So, when I stumbled upon Mavara's latest album, I had to hear it as the cover art is some of the most unique and hauntingly beautiful art I've seen of late. Fortunately, the music holds up to the excellence of the art, and they fit together quite nicely.

Mavara is a band from Iran that fits well into the crossover prog genre. They certainly have a foundation of neo-prog, but they also feature a hefty portion of dark post rock and also heavy prog. "Season of Salvation" never rests on its laurels: It is quite impressive in structure, style, and overall atmosphere, too.

The one word that comes to mind when I hear this album is "lush". The album feels so whole, and it even seems to pull off a sort of oceanic vibe, though I'm not sure how in so many words. This is no technical album, as the expertise is shown more in excellent structure ("Period of Innocence") and dark, soothing ambiance ("Endless Illusion"). There is a certain amount of maturity here that is apparent throughout the entire album.

"Season of Salvation" has many strong points. For instance, the vocalist has a unique voice that perfectly fits the musical style presented. I'm not sure why, but the vocalist reminds me of Jim Grey from Arcane and Caligula's Horse, though with a deeper and darker tint. The vocals are often sublime, though there are a few weak spots. Another strength of this album is the keyboard work. The overall feel of the synth is either haunting or that of light cutting through dense darkness, so the album has a very mature tone to it. The soaring and falling of the layered textures elates and deflates our emotions staggeringly well. In my opinion, that is one sign of a fantastic album.

The rest of the instrumentation is quite adept. These guys (and gal) impress whether they are focusing on ambiance or on a great jam, though they do far more of the former. This is definitely a moody, emotionally raw album first and foremost. Indeed, this album seems to be a cry for meaning and peace in a sea of questions, mysteries, and possibilities. This theme lends itself to emotional music, and I feel Mavara has nailed that. This album is very strong, and I thank the band for providing a copy for my review.

First of all, I'm not a big fan of Progressive rock or Neo-prog, I'm more of a Progressive Metal fan and I enjoy extreme music with viking-aggressive riffs! However I listen to progressive rock sometimes. In Neo-prog scene I'm a complete newbie. I bought Mavara's latest album two or three weeks ago after a mini live (!) performance. "Forgotten Inside" is a dark masterpiece in my book. Sometimes I wish I could mix some of their riffs with my own music! Some remarkable tracks are about social disorders and sub-conscious pains and complexes, which is barely felt as it's like a sleeping dragon at the end of a mysterious cave.

Lyrics indirectly move you. Album's tracks carry a heavy load of creation and some tracks like "Forgotten Inside" are really catchy, even for a viking-obsessed freak like me! The singer has a good potential and a good voice. Vocals however, is pretty good on a few songs, and just "ok" on some other (by pretty good, I mean PRETTY DAMN GOOD!).

Songwriting is pretty creative, some tracks are extremely guitar-based, some are keyboard-based and some are a mixture of both with vocals taking the lead. So I can say "Something Is Lost" is completely a different story compared to "Remote Place" (which is another favorite of mine in this album). Arash Radan, shows his complete and brilliant set of skills on guitar in tracks like "Heaven and Hell" and "Try to Understand", just like Farhood Ghadiri, who puts his soul in the keys, before he push his fingers on them. The album ends with another perfect song "Old Pain" -- and pushes you to go back and shuffle the whole album again!

This is an Excellent work of art, I suggest you get the album somehow or visit the band's myspace page and listen to the freely available tracks like "Forgotten Inside" (Strongly suggested), "Something is Lost" and "Remote Place" and beware, you are waking the sleeping dragon!