CD Info
2012
Self Released / Denmark
6 Tracks
English Lyrics

Danish symphonic metallers, Akoma, were a random Last.fm find for me a couple of years ago when one of their songs from their second EP, Lost Forest, released in 2007, came up one day and made my ears prick up with curiosity (I haven't heard their first EP yet, Angels of Revenge, released in 2006, and it's not available on iTunes Canada, otherwise I'd have purchased it). I don't remember what song it was, but it's a three-track EP, and I found myself downloading it from iTunes ASAP. Immediately I fell in love with this band's thick, rich, textured sound and Tanya Bell's ethereal vocals. The songs were very sorrowful, but very beautiful. I wanted more!

And eventually, I got more, in the form of the band's second EP, a six-track album entitled The Other Side. I'll be honest: I was disappointed that this wasn't a longer CD, but whatever, I can live with it. And I can tell you that I love it just as much as Lost Forest.

Akoma's talents are many, and one of them is infusing beauty into mournfulness. The songs are sorrowful in lyrical content, but the music is gorgeous. Like I said above, it has a thick and rich texture, and this is one band that actually creates a "wall of sound", something other bands claim they do but sometimes, in my humble opinion, fall short. All at the instruments in Akoma's music are strong, and they have a wonderful bass-y quality. Drums, something I rarely notice, stand out here, too. And then there are their heavy guitars, creating, in combination with everything else, a bombastic experience that that is heavily tinged with emotion. The symphonic elements of the music in the background add that extra special texture.

And then there are Tanya's vocals. In The Other Side I can tell that she's worked on her voice since the last release because she sings in a much higher register than she did previously. And she sounds sublime. She is the final, but most key, element in Akoma's unique sound. Her vocal qualities are emotional and convey very convincingly the pain and sorry the music portrays. I think she has one of the best voices on the scene.

Released March 17 of this year, The Other Side differentiates itself from Lost Forest sound-wise by losing the choirs and focusing more on Tanya's vocals and the lush keyboard work performed by, apparently, Tanya herself. Wow. This is one talented woman. According to the band's Facebook info, track 5, "Guardian Angel (Keep Me Safe)" is a remake that originally appeared on Angels of Revenge. This is a lovely song, a gentle acoustic ballad accented by a simple piano melody in the background. Other standout songs on this album (though they are all excellent) are the opener "Bittersweet Memories" where we are introduced to Tanya's new use of her upper register, and the closer, "Immortal Love" which bounces back into the heavy stuff after the acoustic previous track. Filled with epic symphonics and crushing riffs, this song is a great finale to a great listening experience.

Akoma definitely has a unique sound, and I really, fervently hope they start getting the attention they deserve. They are too talented to be relegated to the sidebars of the scene. They are powerful, they are super talented, and they are too great to be missed. The Other Side is available for purchase here on Sonic Cathedral's site, and the band's Facebook says that they are currently working on a full-length album due out possibly in 2013. I am eagerly awaiting this! Rock on Akoma!

9.5 / 10

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