THIS FADING TIME

It could be a Big Album in 1969-1973...Look at the cover and you'll understand :)

AKACIA plays 70s Art-Rock in the very sense of this word.Overdrive and wah-wah guitars, Hammonds and Mellotrons, clear and high voice (you can hear the singer coughing in the title track's intro...kinda "70s studio typical flaw" ;) )...sounds very 70ty, and it automatically makes this record a Must for 70s fanatics. They've managed to catch the 70s spirit,and if you tell me that this is actually a 70-72 remastered obscured record, I'll believe you!

Musically it's less interesting.Again guys mix all 70s approaches - you can hear Heavy Prog, Art and Symphonic Prog, Folk Prog here, and the whole thing is VERY psychedelic...a lot of Canterburish attitude can be seen here too.Tracks are bit misleaded and seem to lose point, but fortunately it doesn't happen to often.

I didn't like it much on the first listening, but later it has become more pleasant to my ears. Enjoyable and TRUE-RETRO record, highly recommended to all Prog lovers!

Akacia offer's up a solid collection of retro music on their third release. By no means perfect, but solid.

With a soundscape solid based in 70's music, and with touches of jazz, psychedelic rock, early hard rock and symphonic rock being thrown together on this release, the end result is rather original sounding. And of high quality as well.

But as the mix above will cater to a rather selected audience; this isn't a release that will go down in history - the potential sales here are just too limited I'm afraid.

Still it's clearly worthwhile checking out for the curious, as there are quite a few nice tracks on this release.

Akacia is a band that has all the elements of a retro-prog group but specifically for the symphonic side: mellotrons, hammonds, a jazzy electric guitar brought to the sound of Steve Howe. The first track is clear SOME of these elements, with a pleasant ambience associated with the synthesizer and its lead singer. In the second they go a full sound King Crimson / jazz, where as in the first, a certain virtuosity of drummer. The third title is simply a ballad with obvious influence of Pink Floyd. The next track mixes a jazz guitar soloing in the background, preparing for almost a hard rock Rush, full plate for lovers of old rock: Rush to Led Zeppelin maybe. "Weatherman" with its gentle guitar which is followed by the synthesizer, growing, with a sense rock'in roll sometimes. The last two tracks abuse of synthesizers, a real cult of old bands. Akacia is a band that can sound nostagia too much, I think the highlight is the electric guitars and jazzy sounding, with a large gap, it is a good alternative for lovers of seventies prog hoping to remember the good times. 3.8 stars

Akacia have written some excellent music in "This Fading Time". The highlights for me are definitely the instrumental sections, they are composed and performed beautifully! The vocalist has a decent voice, and generally performs well on the album. He hits the notes in his upper range well. My favourite tracks are "Mystery" and "Unfading Divine". "Another life" is a pleasant interlude.

Apart from "Mystery", "Unfading Divine" and "In the Air", the vocals on the other half of the album did not move me - they need more passion (in terms of lyrics and melody) though they are performed well. Hence, this half of the album can't really be called this the 'best' music for personal Christian worship.

Having said that, this album is an instrumental treat, very enjoyable!

3.0 stars

With some magical device, we've been transported to 70's. OK, fair enough, but it sounds like worse things from this era. It's not just that in 1971, this record would be revolution, there's more disadvantages than this. This music follow mistakes of its predecessor, it doesn't have enough power to shine the lights around the way. There's screaming, but there's not enough emotions in it. I'm not moved (strange, because I mostly am), I'm stone cold serious now and I shouldn't be. I should enjoy this music and enjoy it properly. It must be the singer, his vocals are dead. I don't want to offend him or the band more than is necessary, they are doing music, not me. But if I should be free to say my opinion, then this "Symphonic" album is symphonic just because it continues legacy of "The Brass Serpent" a little bit, adding also little bit new, but it's fiasco. Terrible results. Some synth experimental work in Weatherman that I haven't heard before, but nothing too.

Sad thing this album. I don't know whether they're trying or not, but this rating will be on the verge of good and bad,

3(-), no less.