Short Reviews [Akenathon - 2025 - "Cronicas Intrascendentes"]

There has been quite a change in Argentinian band Akenathon since I reviewed their second album "Como Hormigas", which was released in 2020. Back then they were a guitar/bass/drums trio with all musicians providing vocals, but this time around Anibal Acuaro (guitar, vocals) and Guillermo Rocca (drums, vocals) have a new bassist in Fernando Chavez Gonzalez and have become a quartet with the addition of Marcela Crusat (keyboards, vocals). While I enjoyed the last album I did feel there were times when it was somewhat unsettling, and I was not always sure what they were trying to achieve. However, there has been a dramatic change now with the introduction of keyboards as an additional musical element in a band that often plays instrumentals. They say their music is progressive rock which also contains influences from tango, hard rock, and others, and for the most part I would define this as heavy prog which works very well indeed with intense melodies and great guitar leads. The keyboards either play support or are close behind on the melody while the bass and drums work well together to provide a solid foundation. The band does seem to lose their way somewhat when they incorporate vocals, and it may well be the case they need to concentrate more on being solely instrumental as it is then when they have the most presence and substance. There are times when we do get some of their past dissonance coming through, such as on the beginning of "La muerte del zapatero (nostalgia de una mediasuela)" but it soon develops into something else, demonstrating that small nuances can make a dramatic impact on the music with some delightful fretless bass and piano. With their third album Alkenthon has continued to develop and the result is a highly enjoyable guitar-led prog album worth discovering.