Evraak is a Japanese Progressive Rock band with marked 70s influences, born in 2018 and with 1 EP and a Full-lenght to their credit. The debut album titled “Evraak I” was released on December 22, 2021 and contains the 3 tracks of the first EP with the addition of another 3 new songs, all long-running. The album opens with “Refuse” characterized by heavy distorted guitars that together with the sax create a dark atmosphere, on which an ethereal vocal is drawn. The rhythmic session is solid and enriched by tempo changes, with the piece evolving continuously while maintaining the intensity always very high. “Stigma” is the longest track on the album and blends a beginning with tense and intricate rhythms and melodies with a more Jazz Prog flavor, to later combine the oriental atmospheres. With a personal character, this song combines the Japanese tradition with the European Prog tradition giving life to an original suite. All the artists involved put their personal technique at the service of the band, which gives space to very intense and elaborate instrumental sections. Continue “Asylum Piece” presents sounds with a marked Jazz influence, much softer than the previous tracks but with very elaborate ideas. Excellent intertwining between saxophone and keyboards, good continuous tempo changes and Marina’s vocal gives a Japan touch to the music, interpreting the various phases of the piece well. “Into The New World” is an intense mix of Jazz Prog and Symphonic, which shows the more delicate side of the band’s sound, without missing the tempo changes and accelerations. The vocal is partly solo and partly choral, with the more melodic inserts alternating with the more intricate ones of a Jazz matrix, very interesting and original as well as very technical. “Cure” with its Progressive melodies catapult us into the 70s, excellent intertwining between electric guitar and keyboards and the vocal is very expressive. The rhythmic session is driving and the track very engaging and articulated, another successful passage of the album that combines the Japanese tradition with the Prog. The album closes with another long song “Sacriface” that exceeds 12 minutes in duration, which summarizes within it all the essence of the band’s sound. It ranges from more Heavy passages to valuable sax inserts, tempo changes and frenetic rhythms and more symphonic openings on which the excellent vocal is inserted. A good conclusion that leaves us with the desire to listen to this record again. A very interesting band that succeeds in mixing oriental sounds and Progressive Rock halfway between Jazz and Symphonic. The intertwining of sax, keyboards and guitar is very interesting, the rhythm session is full of tempo changes and in pure Progressive style. The vocal is Japanese in style and gives an oriental touch to the songs, always very elaborate and thanks to the long durations they allow to develop the themes well and enhance the technique of the artists involved.
Tracklist
01. Refuse (8:23)
02. Stigma (12:47)
03. Asylum Piece (7:03)
04. Into The New World (11:44)
05. Cure (8:06)
06. Sacriface (12:08)
Lineup
Hayawo Kanno / Guitar
Koji Kawashima / Bass
Marina Seo / Vocals
Takeshi Yoshida / Drums
Miki Hasegawa / Keyboards
Tenor Mantaro / Sax
