CROSSING THE LINE

Asia Minor 's debut would have been a breath of fresh air in 1979 if anyone had bothered to listen to it at the time. The blend of dark Crimson-esque angularity and Camel styled flutes and melodies is inviting enough, but add to that the distinctly Arabic roots of this group and you have a real winner. Now there is no excuse for you to ignore this intriguing release and its even better successor.

The group shines best here when the ethnic influences are most apparent, as in the two non English songs, but the vocals are decent even in English, the best of these being "Landscape", the oddly pronounced words only adding to the charm of this deliciously sinister tune. The shorter vocal tracks seems somewhat undeveloped, almost ideas that didn't pan out, but the brief instrumental "Mystic Dance" lives up to its name, showcasing the woodwinds of Eril Tekeli.

In retrospect, this first album provided the training ground for concepts that would flourish on the followup "Between Flesh and Divine". Not to say this is a minor release, just that it does not quite cross the line into the sublime.