SHAKARY 2006

The promising Swiss formation Shakary just released a 'limited double-CD editiondigipack' featuring a selection of tracks from their two studio albums Alya (2-CD from 2000) and The Last Summer (2002), re-recorded, re-mixed and re-mastered. Clepsydra singer Aluisio Maggine is replaced by Noel McCalla (Manfred Mann's Earth Band) and on one track Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon) and Steve Rothery (Marillion) deliver their distinctive guitar work.

CD1 entitled Alya 2006 contains nine songs, these sound as wonderful symphonic prog with hints from legendary neo-prog band early Marillion: melodic, harmonic and tasteful, from dreamy to compelling bombastic. The sound of the keyboards is very lush and I was carried away many times by very moving, often howling guitar soli. To me the vocals by Noel McCalla are a pleasant contribution to Shakary their music, the vocals remind me of the dramatic undertone of Damien Wilson. A strong point is the swirling violin work in some tracks, the Eddie Jobson fans will be delighted! A nice surprise is the track Sentence, halfway we hear a fiery and howling guitar solo by Arjen Lucassen and during the wonderful final part Steve Rothery delivers a sensitive guitar solo, it sounds like 'early Marillion time'! Another good track is Open Skies featuring dynamic prog with exciting keyboard work (including a violin-Mellotron sound), a howling guitar solo and pleasant play on trumpet and violin, what a beautiful and lush sound.

CD2 entitled The Last Summer 2006 contains seven compositions, again Shakary makes wonderful symphonic prog with echoes from early Marillion, like "symphonic prog meets neo-prog". It sounds very dynamic, from subdued and mellow to propulsive and bombastic with a lush instrumentation: beautiful interplay between harpsichord, vocals and violin in Dreaming In L.A., a spectacular synthesizer solo in Love Warchild Of 64, a swinging piano and compelling bombastic prog with howling guitar in The Play Of My Life, twanging acoustic guitar and warm vocals in Two Days Left and a child-choir and the sound of bagpipes in the strongly build-up final song Sparkles In The Dark. On CD2 Noel McCalla does a good job too, I love his voice.

In my opinion Shakary has released a wonderful, very melodic and tasteful 2-CD with plesant keyboards and often sensitive, very moving guitar soli. I think that Shakary 2006 will not only appeal to the Genesis and early Marillion fans but also to progheads and symphomaniacs who love the borders between melodic symphonic prog and neo-prog, RECOMMENDED!