AKASHA

Extremely obscure Norwegian band with just one known album.Akasha came from the city of Kjollefjord and consisted of Sverre Svendsen on voices and Mellotron, Kjell Evensen on drums, Arild Andreassen on bass and Jens Ivar Andreassen on guitars and various keyboards, while Tor-Jonny Hansen appears to be as writer of some of the band's lyrics.They released their sole LP on Bat Records in 1977, while the album was recorded at a cellar of a local hotel according to the album's notes.

Akasha were not only historically obscure, but their sound was also quite extraordinary, full of experimental injections and psychedelic overtones, although not always convincing.They played a sophisticated and intricate Progressive Rock with angular, synth-based spacey vibes, orchestral overtones and bizzare psychedelic textures with atonal parts.They appear to have built their ideas heavily on keyboards with the mightly Mellotron being a first priority for the band, while there are also heavy doses of synthesizers with lighter organ and piano lines around.Soundwise they come as a cross between ELOY's spaciness, KING CRIMSON's early Mellotron-based days, GONG's enigmatic stylings and FANTASY's smooth, vocal-led passages.The variety of styles presented makes the album a bit incohesive, but on the other hand there is a charming, dramatic yet melancholic mood in the background of the whole effort.Long instrumental themes with both loose and tight deliveries are among the album's highlights, based on a solid rhythm section and the diverse keyboard exercises, while the vocals are also quite nice in terms of expression, although they lack a certain range or unique color.

Even more weird is the fact that all of Akasha members dissapeared from the music scene with a sole appearance of Jens Ivar Andreassen on the 82' single ''Sov sov sov'' of the New Wave group Adams Fall.

This is one of the cases, when an highly obscure album bocemes better known through its various reissues over time.So fans of spacey, Mellotron-drenched Progressive Rock should be the first to acquire this work.Partly genuine and warmly recommended.