Asia Minor
Between Flesh And Divine

LA RECENSIONE

Asia Minor is a French band formed in the mid-70s, and their name is inspired by the origins of their founding members and multi-instrumentalists Setrak Bakirel and Eril Tekeli.

The group is the creator of a refined and evocative symphonic prog-rock and produced two finely crafted albums, “Crossing the Line” in 1978 and “Between Flesh and Divine” in 1980, which inevitably went unnoticed by the mainstream audience.

Both works are self-produced, and unfortunately, this is noticeable in the debut album, whose slight flaws are smoothed out in the subsequent one, which for me is one of the most inspired albums of those years in the genre. The cover, designed by Teseli and inspired by Greta Garbo, is intriguing and represents the duality of women, both as an object of desire and as a spiritual muse.

The music proposed by Asia Minor is particularly original with clear Middle Eastern influences. Thus, we find the most romantic and dreamy passages, centered on airy keyboards and refined guitar arpeggios, preluding to instrumental flights with more sustained and varied rhythms. All of this highlights the virtuosity of the performers, which never appears excessive. There are no dominant influences felt, perhaps just some faint references to the best of Camel. This is just a hint at the sound, but consider that personally, these latter ones don't thrill me. The band’s sound also features the flute, outlining inspired and melancholic melodies, without being intrusive or aggressive. Bakirel’s voice is also appreciable; although it doesn't have a remarkable range, it has a deep and delicate timbre that suits the proposed music well. The opener “Nightwind” begins with an energetic bass line, followed by the gradual entry of other instruments in an escalation leading to the delicate central phase, where there is a seductive and nostalgic singing. The song then resumes the initial rhythms to end in a very intense crescendo. It is followed by “Northern Lights,” the most beautiful track on the album, which begins with a sad intertwined arpeggio of keyboards and guitar, introducing a subsequent and frenetic instrumental explosion. The song then takes on gentler tones on which the singing is placed, and like the initial piece, ends with an appreciable crescendo. We arrive at the splendid ballad “Boundless”, an exciting track where the keyboards reign and the lyrics make us dream: “There is no universe without harmony / and no illusion without dreaming.”

The fourth track “Dedicace” reprises the successful formula of the first two tracks, with the difference that the singing also accompanies the harsher parts of the piece. It continues with “Lost in a Dream Yell,” a progressive ballad beginning with the rumble of thunder and the background of rain. The song flows delicately until the final part where the flute’s evolutions, supported by a rhythm occasionally martial, guide us through dreamlike atmospheres. Closing the album is a short instrumental titled “Dreadful Memories”, which, as the title suggests, is a dark piece led by a rather hard “crimsonian” guitar.

Despite the members' efforts, unfortunately, the group's music will not break free from anonymity and gather the desired fruits, preluding to their disbandment in 1983.

The album will be reissued in 1991 by the Musea record label and distributed internationally, achieving decent sales success, especially in Japan. In my humble opinion, it is one of the most beautiful works of '80s prog.