July 2008
Akphaezya - Anthology II

When this cd landed on my doorstep, initially I overlooked it and dismissed it as perhaps another middle of the road extreme metal cd judging by the cover and the illegible logo, but as the old saying goes - do not to judge a book by the cover, I was gladly proved very wrong.

Akphaezya is a French band recently signed to Lee Barrett (CandleLight, Extreme Noise Terror) and Sam Grant's (Sonic Cathedral) new female fronted label Ascendance Records. But before you stop reading at the sight of the words 'female fronted' at least give this cd a chance.

Based on the ideas of Stephan H. in 2002, he then asked Nehl Aëlin, Loic Moussaoui and Stephane Beguier to join him in creating the band. They released their first demo in 2004, followed by gigs in Belgium and France until they recorded their debut album in 2007, ready for release in June 2008.

Akphaezya is a concept split between three topics; musical, visual and literal. Without going too much into the details of this concept (a more in-depth view is available on their website www.akphaezya.com) they are basically telling a story by using lyrics, sound and visual effects which can be viewed online and in the cd booklet.

Now to describe or compare their sound is something that I've struggled with, just when I think I've managed to find a close comparison or a fitting genre, the mood will suddenly change to something far more abstract; the band describe their sound as 'Eclectic Metal' and eclectic it certainly is.

From start to finish it takes you on an emotional journey - beginning with the dark trip-hop intro and bursting into keyboards and guitar with death metal grunts from female singer and pianist Nehl Aëlin, but then the pace will suddenly change tempo to a freestyle jazz, circa 1950's with sultry vocals until the progressive guitars and drums will take over, building up to a climax with interchanging vocals of jazz, grunts and singing. At times Nehl's voice can be reminiscent of metal band, Amaran - parts also remind me of Dominique Lenore Persi of Stolen Babies (also on Ascendance Records) and in parts even Angela Gossow and Mike Patton - there's also influences here from the Middle-East complete with tribal chants.

As a long time fan of female fronted bands, I have become increasingly bored with the amount of bands that have the same sound, so to hear a genre-bending band that is not afraid to take a risk is so very refreshing and just what an industry needs that is currently tainted with the same clones. With the constant changing of sounds that are representing the journey we are taken on, there is not a chance for the listener to get bored. For me to try and describe each emotion or sound that is created, would perhaps be an impossible task to undertake, all I can say is taken a listen for yourself!
Akphaezya - Anthology II

When this cd landed on my doorstep, initially I overlooked it and dismissed it as perhaps another middle of the road extreme metal cd judging by the cover and the illegible logo, but as the old saying goes - do not to judge a book by the cover, I was gladly proved very wrong.

Akphaezya is a French band recently signed to Lee Barrett (CandleLight, Extreme Noise Terror) and Sam Grant's (Sonic Cathedral) new female fronted label Ascendance Records. But before you stop reading at the sight of the words 'female fronted' at least give this cd a chance.

Based on the ideas of Stephan H. in 2002, he then asked Nehl Aëlin, Loic Moussaoui and Stephane Beguier to join him in creating the band. They released their first demo in 2004, followed by gigs in Belgium and France until they recorded their debut album in 2007, ready for release in June 2008.

Akphaezya is a concept split between three topics; musical, visual and literal. Without going too much into the details of this concept (a more in-depth view is available on their website www.akphaezya.com) they are basically telling a story by using lyrics, sound and visual effects which can be viewed online and in the cd booklet.

Now to describe or compare their sound is something that I've struggled with, just when I think I've managed to find a close comparison or a fitting genre, the mood will suddenly change to something far more abstract; the band describe their sound as 'Eclectic Metal' and eclectic it certainly is.

From start to finish it takes you on an emotional journey - beginning with the dark trip-hop intro and bursting into keyboards and guitar with death metal grunts from female singer and pianist Nehl Aëlin, but then the pace will suddenly change tempo to a freestyle jazz, circa 1950's with sultry vocals until the progressive guitars and drums will take over, building up to a climax with interchanging vocals of jazz, grunts and singing. At times Nehl's voice can be reminiscent of metal band, Amaran - parts also remind me of Dominique Lenore Persi of Stolen Babies (also on Ascendance Records) and in parts even Angela Gossow and Mike Patton - there's also influences here from the Middle-East complete with tribal chants.

As a long time fan of female fronted bands, I have become increasingly bored with the amount of bands that have the same sound, so to hear a genre-bending band that is not afraid to take a risk is so very refreshing and just what an industry needs that is currently tainted with the same clones. With the constant changing of sounds that are representing the journey we are taken on, there is not a chance for the listener to get bored. For me to try and describe each emotion or sound that is created, would perhaps be an impossible task to undertake, all I can say is taken a listen for yourself!

by Laura Kelly
unfashionable creatures