I wanted to stretch the boundaries in my search for all things prog this week; I really needed a jolt that was as much mentally stimulating as it was physically draining...and so the Concert Closet headed north to Amsterdam as we honed in on the multi-layered, cerebral sounds of Amikdla.
Referring to themselves simply as ..."a progressive rock band from the Netherlands" was the hook that lured me in. No fancy window dressing, no marketing ploy to capture the listener's attention...just an honest assessment of who they are. Never being one to walk past a train wreck or a street musician without taking notice, I obviously felt compelled to dive right into this prog feast.
The opening course is a test of the senses; a mind altering tune called "Mutate." The music pulsates right from the beginning...you feel a mild tension as it slowly starts to thump. This song has depth; you find yourself being drawn in then down deep as the vocals start--and suddenly the guitars bring everything to life like a defibrillator to the chest. Solid drumming is the protective shell holding the whole thing together. Amikdla emits aromatics of Genesis and adds top notes of Dream Theater and Tool that waft in the air just strong enough to awaken the metal prog sensors in your brain...until the song winds down and you feel its lifeblood slowly spiraling down the drain...
Now that the opening jolt has awakened the senses, let us step back to the buffet with cautious anticipation..."Inertia" seems just the elixir to clear the head. Amikdla adds musical pieces like a jigsaw puzzle; fitted together the right way, they create an image otherwise unseen. There is a darkness that hangs over this song; not so much a cloud as a long black veil designed to protect the vulnerable listener from a metal beast working extremely hard to break out. Amikdla hammers the edges of reason with a mallet yet manages to stay on the correct side of sanity...turning the heat down two degrees below mental scorch...an art form truly appreciated...
Liner Notes...Amikdla calls Zaandam, Netherlands home and the current line-up appears to be Jasper Schilder on guitar, Joel van Dam on vocals, Chinouk de Haan on bass, and Wouter Ouwehand on drums. A very strong quartet that--unless photos are posted backwards--has two left-handed guitarists in Jasper and Chinouk. Being a southpaw myself I tend to notice these things...not that two lefties alone makes them great--but it certainly does not hurt the cause.
Amikdla flourishes in the eclectic symphonic, techno area of the prog garden, sharing acreage with Seven Impale and Spleen Arcana among others. However; there is also some metal growing amongst and between the pastels poking through the dirt. Like their peers, Amikdla uses subtlety with the right ratio of iron and steel to play off each other and strike a nerve in your soul that hits hard and fast--then backs off like cayenne pepper folded into milk chocolate. There is smoothness and then there is the bright lights that follow a head-butt...
Moving along the buffet line, I find the best ending for this week's feast; a large slice of a sweet morsel called "Escape." Top notes of A Perfect Circle and XTC shine through on this cut; the emotional rainstorm builds slowly and definitely, slamming against the inside of your skull like waves against the jetty. Amikdla reigns down like combustible dust through the headphones...only volatile if mixed with open flame. The band is careful to temper their music with neutralizing levels of guitar, drums, and vocals to make it appealing to those who tend to stay on the fringe.
This week's musical post is especially intriguing...a song that seems filled with the subliminal, "Join the Tribe." Amikdla has a knack for drawing you in with the siren song of musical lust, all the while toying with your emotions. The song opens with a foreboding unheard in previous cuts, yet the calm vocals that cut through the fierce opening sooth your nerves like a morphine shot after a skiing accident. Learn more about Amikdla at https://amikdla.bandcamp.com/ and follow the band on Twitter @Amikdlaband and Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/amikdla to keep up with new releases, tour dates/places, and other pertinent information. You can also find the band's music at
http://amikdla.bandcamp.com/album/a-small-step. Amikdla brings the black light, candles, and dark mood...all you have to add is the flame. Sit back and enjoy the mental fireworks...
So fellow progheads, I hope this trip to the Netherlands was worthwhile for you. I not only embraced the cerebral sounds of Amikdla, I was able to expand the boundaries of the Concert Closet. Not necessarily our first trip to the shores of the North Sea, but a venture well worth the time and effort! Amikdla tills specific acreage in the prog garden, but don't be put off by the apparent lack of diversity; this is a band that can play in anyone's sandbox. A quartet that assembles a sound seemingly built of far more parts, with the ability to drag the mood meter across many emotional sensors. Now to find other gut pulling sounds in the search for all things prog...until next week...
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