ALAM RAYA

This Indonesian septet offer a symphonic prog sound influenced by the usual suspects (Yes, Genesis, ELP), yet offer much personal identity. For one thing, the vocals are all in Indonesian, which adds a unique local colour and personality to the music. Players on flute and oboe add profound classical touches. Meanwhile, keyboardist "Oni" (apart from singer/pianist Iwan Majdid, nobody in the group is credited with surnames) colours the music with organ, electric piano and various synthesizer sounds.

Don't get me wrong, the album is nice, but the band tend towards the "polite" side for the most part. I keep wishing they'd cut loose, kick it up to the next level, but it never occurs. It's all very pleasant, but never much more than that. And there are a few rather cheesy moments, as on "Keraidaan Yang Ada", which opens and closes with a bombastic rendition of "God Save The Queen".

Still, a resonable album that's a lot better than some others from Indonesia (Godbless' laughably derivative HUMA DI ATAS BUKIT, for example). As usual, with Indonesian prog releases, don't expect the best sound. Not only was this likely recorded under less-than-ideal conditions, but it was only ever released (so far) on cassette. Frankly, I'm surprised it sounds as good as it does, considering all of the above.