Arkayan

Arkayan began as an acoustic side project by members of local acts Fractious and Book Of Lilith before evolving into their current electrified form, but those roots can still be heard throughout this debut album, particularly in the guitar intro to Amputations. Melodic song structures and soaring vocals put them at the lighter end of the spectrum, but that’s not to say there isn’t a good, crunchy rock base under the complex harmonies and intricate guitar work.
In terms of influences, the band draws from a wide range of points on the alternative rock landscape. There’s definitely some prog metal there, and some stoner rock, but the most obvious antecedent is Pearl Jam, along with everything that came after Pearl Jam, especially on Bon Jovi Weekend.
All up, this is a solid debut, albeit not an amazing one. The album feels all of a piece, not just a collection of songs cobbled together to fill a CD. While there are no obvious standout tracks that might make for decent singles, there’s a strong sense of unity and identity; Arkayan know who they are and what they’re doing, it only remains for them to push it to the next level in order to deliver something truly noteworthy. - X press magazine

Australian music makes me happy. Not because it's good, or bad, or strange, or anything like that. But, because it's Australian. It comes from a land down unda'. It already gets high marks before I even listen to it.

I'm not going to bore you with all the info about where this band came from, who they used to be band-mates with, what their mother's maiden name is, or how many times a week they need to string their guitars (3 times. Ok, I am going to tell you that). What I AM going to tell you is that if you're in Australia, and these guys are playing, then you NEED to see them.

And that's an order!
- The Biggest Letdown

For little overseas enjoyment we look to Perth Alternative rocker Arkayan. This currently unsigned five piece hails from Perth, Australia. Molded in the likes of Porcupine Tree, Thrice, and The Cooper Temple -in 2010, amidst extensive live touring they released their debut album "Away from the World." Arkayan was originally developed as an acoustic side project but slowly morphed into the 5 member group that constitutes their current line-up. Vocalist/guitarist Jon Mazzardis also serves as the bands manager, and is accompanied by Niall Ridgeway (guitar), Djan Irianto (drums), Raq Santella (vocal harmonies) and Dan Bruce (bass). "Away from the World" displays many skills and characteristics of a band that has been together a while, let alone, in this case, one that is relatively new and currently unsigned. The album opener "Long Standing Silence" blasts with a pulsating riff and sharp lyrics that sets the bar pretty high and is maybe failed to live up to throughout the rest of the tracks.

An interesting characteristic of Arkayan is the almost duel lead singing, which in truth is more of a harmonized duality between lead singer Mazzardis and back-up/harmony vocalist Raq Santella. Santella, (a chick) makes for an interesting combination in the harmonizing and dual lyrical sound, adding a soft yet hauntingly echoing voice to Mazzardis's raspy yet melodic and powerful tone. This duality is a prominent characteristic in all their songs, and while sometimes it works in the band's and listeners' favor, (see Moving Mountains, New Decay, and One-Side Decisions). It can also hinder and confuse the feeling and tone of a song, particularly on "Amputation," which is a half acoustic, half electric number that seems to lose its direction halfway through the song.

The guitars, bass, and drums seem to be tightly knit and fused together in their rhythms and sonic synchronicity, which again pulls me in two directions. On one hand I can get locked into a groove on a song like "Bon Jovi Friday" with its searing blasts of frenetic sounding guitar and percussion that drives and steers the groove I realized I have trouble differentiating the songs because of the similar pace and arrangement of half the album.

The counter to the previous statement is the album closer "Vanishing," which provides a magnetic intro and showcases some of the musical talents I believe could and should be displayed throughout the album. I highly recommend the album opener and closer, one can clearly see that this band does have tremendously potential. The fact that Arkayan remains unsigned is very surprising and I have a hunch that it will not last long. There are many positives and signs that Arkayan can make themselves known in the music world, including here in the States. They seem to stay inside their particular straight forward musical confines; it would be interesting to see where they can go musically as a group. Mazzardis's voice is a strong point in the group, along with the pulsating guitars and rhythm section Arkayan could have a very bright future. "Away from the World" is an ambitious start, having just discovered this relatively new and unknown Australian group I am eager to see what direction they take their musical talents in. Visit their website for more information and to purchase their debut Album "Away from the World." - OnlineRock.com