Aesthesys - Achromata (2018)

There hasn’t been very much instrumental prog released so far this year, especially compared with the onslaught we experienced last year. Because of this, I was happy to come across the new album from Aesthesys, called “Achromata”. I confess that the cover art was what first attracted my interest, but the musical experience therein is something that is not only exquisite, but also quite unique.

Aesthesys hails from Moscow, which definitely has an influence on their sound. The band consists of Sasha Coudray on bass, Victor Krabovich on guitar and keys, Eldar Ferzaliev on guitar, and Nik Koniwzski on violin and keys. Guest musicians include Maximilian Maxotsky on drums and Jamie Ward on mellotron and synth.

The musical style is a bit hard to nail down accurately. The album has this modern progressive rock feel to it, though prog rock is far from the primary genre here, if present much at all. While prog rock is obviously an influence to some degree, the album is primarily driven by keys and especially by violin, giving it an overall neoclassical atmosphere. The voluptuous drumming and somewhat shoegazey guitars also provide the album with a post-rock vibe, especially through the band’s climactic style of song writing. On top of that, there is a hefty helping of electronic music here. It’s like this great big mix of genres that feels both classical and modern at the same time, impressing even further because of the emotions that all of this produces.

The musical performances here are lavish and full. Nik’s violin is an obvious standout, weaving its way in and around every bit of this album. I’m also a big fan of Max’s drums, as they give the album a great boost of oomph and meatiness. Sasha’s bass sets a great tone for the album, too, with Victor and Eldar providing soaring guitars that eek emotion out of my face. Victor’s lush keys are the final piece to the puzzle, giving the album a sense of otherworldliness even as the violin grounds us.