Detailed Reviews [Arashk - 2007 - "Abrahadabra"]

Prolusion. Iran is not a country best known for its rock music, but is indeed the home country of ARASHK, a band formed in 2001. "Abrahadabra" is their debut album, released in December 2006 in Iran and made available to the rest of the world in January 2007.

Analysis. Arashk explore the universe of instrumental rock on their debut. After careful listening I really wasn't able to find any particular artists that have influenced them more than others, or indeed pinpoint any specific influences at all. All compositions here are basically set up in the same manner: bass and drums are set up as the foundation of a tune. In most cases there's a further foundation by guitar, sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric and undistorted, but most of the time the fuzz guitar provides riffs. On top of this basis a second guitar is added, exploring an adventurous mixture of melodic riff pattern and good old-fashioned guitar soloing. To create variation, synths are added to the soundscapes of some tunes, while a few others have also some fascinating percussion work added. Arashk's basic style is hard rock with distinct progressive tendencies. Songs flow nicely, with changes of pace and style variations coming and going in a very natural way. Some nice examples of asynchronous guitar riffs and disharmonic themes will be found, as well as a few instances of fusion-tinged themes explored. The most noticeable element of the music offered here isn't in style though, but in sound. The guitars are at times extremely distorted, creating a grimy, dirty sound that often makes the music sound more like metal than hard rock. The compositions here, although basically much alike in style and structure, have a degree of variation in pace and style broad enough to make the individual compositions interesting; there are at all times new elements or slight differences in style and structure that give each individual tune an identity of their own. This results in an intriguing and fascinating album overall.

Conclusion. "Abrahadabra" is a strong debut album with high quality of compositions and performance alike. Fans of instrumental hard rock as well as instrumental metal should find this highly interesting, especially those who like heavy music with a high degree of progressive tendencies.

OMB=Olav M Bjornson: January 11, 2008