Acyl – Algebra (2012)

Metallers start getting familiar, comfortable with Ethnic infusions in the 90s with the colorful sounds built in the Metal genre by Sepultura. More recently, System Of A Down introduced Oriental and Arab flavored shades into Metal and conquered the whole world with their music. Somewhere between the Thrash/Death gravity of Sepultura and the modern intensity of System Of A Down and revealing the beauty and mystic flavor of Arab music, the Paris, France, based Acyl delivered a brilliant debut album. One of the best and most exciting Metal albums of 2012.
On the other hand, this is not only an excellent Progressive/Experimental Metal album, but also a genuine, deeply spiritual journey. And the use of the word “genuine” wasn’t random or accidental.

To fully understand what Acyl is about, we must go back to the origins of the word “acyl” – which is the Arabic for “authentic”. And the band’s motto is also “stay authentic!”. This band find a very colorful and tasty path of sounds between different cultures and approaches. The marriage of their cultural heritage with the sound of modern Metal resulted in something intense, colorful and with powerful spiritual content – quite contrasting with the patterned, predictable and boringly empty nowadays musical products.
Death and Thrash hurricanes are breakdown into mystic, subtle, quieter, meditative, intimate moments in a fluid, constantly instant flow of emotions. The whole album it’s smartly build-up, in every moment something more interesting follows, it’s literally nail you down, require your full attention.
This is not background noise, not another adrenaline fueled album, although Acyl have their powerful moments when they will grind you into the ground!
More as you listen it, more beautiful becomes “Algebra”.
And the choice of algebra as the album title it’s also not accidental. The word algebra comes from the Arabic language (الجبر al-jabr “restoration”) and much of its methods from Arabic/Islamic mathematics. Earlier traditions discussed above had a direct influence on Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī (c. 780–850). He later wrote The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing, which established algebra as a mathematical discipline that is independent of geometry and arithmetic.
In a world which tent to globalize and colonize, but we’re still divided by culture, religion and mostly misconception, “Algebra” it’s a way to have a look inside into another culture by some of our cultural instruments and this makes this journey even more exciting and meaningful.
Allah Akbar!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF8dXd3fWjw&w=545&h=307]

The basis of Acyl’s musical creation are the Berber and Arabic sounds and melodies from Maghreb – especially from the Sahara – fused with metal rock, two dense cores that produce an impressive source of energy and inspiration. We are thus swept away by the enchanting atmosphere of the Sahara which is sublimed by the harshness and technique of metal music. Traditional texts and choirs sustain the ethnic aspect while a clear and melodic voice alternates with an aggressive and technical one. Guitar riffs – that find inspiration in all the categories of metal music – give, with the help of these voices, this experimental and ethnic dimension to the band.
The «idea» emerged from the continuation of a previous project: «Mass» which Amine was behind alongside the spearheads of the Algerian metal of the 1990s among whom Reda, guitarist and founder of the band «Worth» evolved. This idea needed to develop until 2006, when Amine convinced him to make a group that would be strong in its beliefs and ambitions. Soon, Salah – a friend and session bassist in several musical projects – joined them as a full member.
In 2007 the group met Michael (former Myst), a drummer well versed in progressive metal. That is why in 2007, starting from an “idea”, the group ACYL was born, expressing his personality through his music and his graphic world.
In two years, more than 20 titles were composed and recorded. With concerns of rigor and consistency the group looked to the thread of their creations and in September 2010 the first production moved towards an EP of 4 titles: « The Angel’s Sin » self produced with the help of “La Halle Du Rock”. The implementation and completion of this project were the first harbingers of the release of the album “Algebra” which was conducted in July 2011 in the studios Tower Studio and whose output is provided by M&O Music in February 2012. Slightly after the release of Algebra they were joined by Abder’Rahman (former Dawn Of Decline, former member and co-founder of Arkan) as a full-time member and a guitarist.
The groups creations are tainted by an ancestral originality and are in the image of the etymological root of its name which means « Genuine » in Arabic. The basis of their musical and graphic creations revolve around cultures, rhythms and sounds of the Maghreb‘s Arab-Berber, in particular those of the Algerian Sahara with which merged Rock and Metal as two dense cores which generate a remarkable source of energy and inspiration. The singing group and diverse traditional instruments such as Bendirs, Guellal, Derbouka, Gumbri, Karkabous, Oud,Mandola, Guesba, Udu and Tare take a significant place in the music of ACYL and give it its ethnic and experimental features.
The group plans to promote “Algebra” in a series of concerts before the end of the year 2011, and with a tour which will take place in the spring of 2012.

Tracklist:

01. Ungratefulness
02. Head On Crash
03. Al Kiama chapter 1: Caldeira
04. Al Kiama chapter 2: Cirat
05. Barzakh
06. Back To Death
07. Babyl chapter 1: The False Gods
08. Babyl chapter 2: Weak And Proud
09. Creation chapter 1: Demiurge
10. Creation chapter 2: The Mold
11. Creation chapter 3: Autonomy
12. Hijrah

Acyl enforce the line of other Middle East originated quality bands such as Nervecell , Orphaned Land, Melechesh, Absolace, Arkan  or the Yiddish Metal band Gevolt .

Acyl – Official Site
Acyl @ Facebook
Acyl @ YouTube
Acyl @ Reverbnation
Acyl @ MySpace
Acyl @ Twitter
Contact: [email protected]