Detailed Reviews [Accept - 2009 - "Mobius"]

Prolusion. ACCEPT is first and foremost the creative vehicle of Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist Hisao, and initially came to light when he issued his debut effort "Silver Moon" in 2007. "Mobius" is the second release by this artist, and was issued in late 2009 on the Japanese label Vital Records.

Analysis. While the first production by this artist explored a musical landscape with many references to English progressive rock in general and the works of artists like Mike Oldfield and Camel in particular, on this sophomore effort Hisao slowly starts expanding his musical palette. The main parts of this release still reside within the borders of his first album though. The influence from the gentler parts of a distinctly English-sounding symphonic progressive rock universe is very much a dominating aspect throughout the disc, and many themes and passages may well be described as mellow and pastoral in expression. The sonic palette has expanded though, and nods in the direction of artists like Jethro Tull, Genesis and The Beatles are almost as frequent as the ones that hark towards what appeared to be the dominating inspirations for the first production issued under the Accept moniker. But a new feature this time around is that of shorter, atmospheric pieces, liberally spread throughout the CD, and in these compositions Hisao transports us to a totally different musical universe, containing dark, decaying sounds and fragmented rhythms and textures. Almost industrial sounding at times, these excursions have much more of a psychedelic and space-tinged nature, and come across as effective contrasts to the lengthier pastoral and harmonic efforts. And while this doesn't represent a revolutionary approach, it does create a strong nerve and tension throughout the album. And with generally good compositions to boot, this makes for an interesting and rewarding listening experience, where the mood pieces in particular frequently touch upon brilliance.

Conclusion. Blending pastoral symphonic progressive rock with harsher, modern-sounding mood pieces may not be to everybody's taste, but for those who find this idea and concept intriguing, the Japanese artist Accept has provided one of the relatively few examples of just such a blend with "Mobius". It's a production safely recommended to this particular crowd, and those with a keen interest in the gentler parts of vintage symphonic art rock should also find much material to cater to their tastes on this recording.

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: June 4, 2010
The Rating Room