CROSSING THE LINE

ASIA MINOR is a symphonic prog band that began as a bunch of college kids who met in Turkey but ended up in France and were there several years before recording and releasing their only two albums in the late 70s / early 80s divide. CROSSING THE LINE is the debut album that kicks in with a gong followed by some serious flute workouts. This band was serious about including Middle Eastern influence in the then traditional symphonic prog lite that may bring Camel or other breezy bands of the era to mind. Although the Oriental influences are there they are very subtle and ASIA MINOR sounds more like a Western prog band unlike say bands like Gunesh who really were full-blown Middle Eastern prog.

This first album simmers but nobody every bothers to turn the flames up any higher. I have come to this after the much better second album "Between Flesh And Divine" and am always left a little cold after hearing this one. They seem to get into some good grooves on here and then never really take off into more ambitious waters. This is a nice pleasant album and if you want a nice symphonic prog album that serves as background music then this one is perfect because it is very pleasant, it's just that it doesn't have enough to keep the active listener engaged, at least not this one. I'm also just not in love with the vocals on this one. Setrak Bakirel just doesn't deliver a very strong and passionate performance. This debut album simply lacks the diverse elements that make the second one work so well. A good album for its unique approach but in the end fails to pack a sufficient punch for my tastes.