22.10.2009.
Asia Minor - Between Flesh And Divine (1981) (@256)
(Review from progarchives.com)
Despite the rather moderate reception given to their first album, the group remained convinced of the originality and quality of their music and decided to record a new album. The idea was that a second album would help the group assert itself and increase their credibility with concert organizers.
The sound of this album is darker and more melancholic and a mellotron is added to the mix, although string-synths are more plentiful. Lead guitar and flute are still the major features in the instrumental passages, being in charge of the solos and the main melodic lines. Beltrami's drumming is still as polished and energetic as on the band's debut album, displaying his jazzy vein under the guise of a rock-oriented attitude. The Turkish roots from Setrak and Eril are are scarce compared to their debut, which is a pity, it's part of the band's charm.
The sound production is more refined, which makes every instrument show itself clearly amidst the band's overall sound. The contrast between the strong passages and the soft ones is handled more naturally, which allows the band to go deeper into their Camel-esque explorations.
Highlights include the opener "Nightwind", the band starting off sound deceptively like Ozric Tentacles, but that's just for a few seconds, before you know what you're listening to is symphonic progressive. Here you get some great guitar and flute work, and some atmospheric passages. 'Northern Lights' states a more pronunced atmosphere of introspection, generally speaking, while 'Dedicace' brings a solid dynamics that fuses the heritages of Pulsar, Focus and Pink Floyd in an "Asia Minor" sort of way.
Finally, 'Dreadful Memories' is nothing but a jam construed from a simple chord progression on guitar, with the bass and drums following, and an increasing number of keyboard layers subtly being summoned in: its abrupt ending makes it the perfect coda for the album.
It wouldn't take long before the bloody blade of 'musical differences' beheaded Asia Minor's career, while they were preparing material for a following album that was never to be.
Line-up :
- Eril Tekeli / guitars, flute
- Setrak Bakirel / voice, guitars, bass
- Lionel Beltrami / drums, percussion
- Robert Kempler / keyboards, bass
Track List :
01. Nightwind - 6:26
02. Northern Lights - 7:46
03. Boundless - 3:09
04. Dedicace - 6:12
05. Lost In A Dream Yell - 7:41
06. Dreadful Memories - 2:44
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