*The following is a translation using translation software. I hope you can understand.*
Electric Asturias starts!
Asturias is celebrating its 24th year since its inception in 1987. From 1988 to 1993, he released three albums on King Records, and after a nine-year hiatus, he resumed his activities with Acoustic Asturias in 2004, and was hailed as "healing prog rock" and was well-known even in the prog rock world. It has been positioned as a representative of quiet, gentle and beautiful prog rock (though there are aspects that are not true...).
However, at its core, there is an unmistakable "rock" spirit, and I believe that Asturias' true value lies in expressing its world view through the contrast between stillness and movement. The first three discs, which were mainly overdubbed, also contained songs in a simple rock band format (such as "Tightrope," "Highland," and "Phoenix"), and you can find what became the basis of this work.
For the past few years, I have continued to perform as a classical unit "Acoustic Asturias", but my desire to express my rock roots has gradually grown. The suite "Fate", which will be described later, was the direct trigger, but we also had other songs that we wanted to perform in a rock band formation, so we decided on the current members in the spring of 2009. The third Asturias “Electric Asturias” following Asturias(Multi recording style) and Acoustic Asturias has started. Through repeated rehearsals, the band's sound gradually solidified, and they performed several live shows (including performing at Portugal's prog festival "GAR2010"), and finally completed their current work, "Fractals."
Despite the band composition, the fundamental direction of Asturias (tightly structured melodiousness, dramatic musicality) remains the same, but themes such as "sadness" and "fate" run throughout the album. I'm imagining it. We hope that you will be able to fully immerse yourself in the world view through the flow of carefully selected serious songs.
Fractal is a geometric concept. A figure whose parts and the whole are self-similar (?It's a bit difficult, but...). We chose the name to symbolize the band's sound, which is an unmistakable Asturian sound that combines the complex song parts and individual personalities of the five members. I hope to be able to appeal to the "constructed beauty of emotion" that prog rock had during the golden age of the 1970s.
<Double Helix>
A confident work that bursts with the soul of prog rock, with a melancholy melody and a spirited development. Actually, it was originally a song I wrote for Acoustic Asturias, but it was around the time when I had the idea to form a new band, and when I tried arranging it for a band, I was convinced that it could work! This is a song that symbolizes the hard line of Eleas, which has a complex irregular time signature and note sequence mainly based on 9 time signatures, and is quite difficult, and when recruiting members, the condition was that "you could play this song".
The interludes are not improvised and freely used, which is typical of bands, but are composed in a way that is tightly scored and the small parts are developed in a way similar to creating a suite. I think the song is not only complex, but also emphasizes emotional expression with a theme of "tragic feeling," making it a melodious and exciting song.
Double Helix refers to the double helix structure of DNA. It is an image of something destined to be passed down from parent to child.
<Voice from the darkness>
This song is characterized by "darkness" and "hardness" that have not been found in Asturias up until now. However, I can't quite match the "dark prog rock" crowd, and it still has a melancholy feel that's typical of me... It is unusually composed of only 4-time signatures, and is particular about its mysterious chord feel. Please be enchanted by Satoshi Hirata's heartfelt guitar solo.
<Castle in the Mist>
A song that represents the "quiet" part of Eleas, with a trio of transparent piano riffs and a melancholy violin, as if the methodology of Acoustic Asturias has been replaced by a band. In the middle part, each member's solo part was developed into a dramatic progressive rock song. I imagined an old European castle floating in the fog, and I named it based on the prog rock road line.
<Moon Dawn>
Originally composed as BGM for the PC game "Shyamana Shamana" (arranged version of Kanako Ito's vocal song "Silent MoonSign"). The orthodox 6/8 rhythm and easy-to-understand melody theme develops into a jazz-rock interplay in the middle. Freed from odd time signatures (^^), the lively band sound is something to listen to.
<Silent Tears ~Cyber Transmission>
"Silent Tears" was originally composed as the BGM for the PC game "Jinkoku Makyo." I like the melodies filled with sadness, and I used to play them at Acoustic Asturias, but the crying guitar and violin have become a highlight of Eleas live shows. The middle part was recorded as a medley that transitions to "Cyber Transmission" from the 3rd album. Please enjoy the contrast between stillness and movement, which now feels like it was originally one song.
<Suite of "Fate">
In 2007, these three songs were requested as the image soundtrack for the novel "Fate/Zero". It was written all at once in a short period of time, trying to express the heavy theme of "Fate" with a progressive rock sound that exudes a sense of sadness. I was satisfied with the result and wanted to play it as part of my band's repertoire someday, which became the driving force behind forming Eleas. I am grateful that I came across this work.
ⅰ Fugue
A majestic opening on the pipe organ. A progressive overture performed by the three front members. In terms of story, it is a requiem mourning the death of a soldier who died a violent death.
ⅱ Argus last stand
A hard rock instrumental featuring an irregular triple time signature. Based on the image of a battle, we move from a folding development to a solo play in the middle. The jersey atmosphere also appeals to the band's other side. The title was chosen to pay homage to two of Britain's biggest bands.
ⅲ The Lancer
The highlight of this work begins with a piano solo. A thrilling, strange time signature, a melodious crying guitar, and a sense of sadness and sadness, yet a positive sense of elation. I am proud that I was able to express in my own way the "progressive rock full of tension" that I have been pursuing for many years. Personally, the piano development from the chorus is the highlight, and I can't listen to it without crying.
2011.7.28 Yoh Ohyama