Customer Reviews

Anatolia

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Anatolia, since its release in 1997, still remains an unrivaled and perfect disc among Heavy Metal albums, not only in Turkey but throughout the world. I am so impressed by this band's unparalleled greatness, their originality, and the sheer power of their music.

Pentagram, now also known as Mezarkabul in Europe and the USA (they still use their own name in Turkey though), began to use a wide array of Anatolian/Middle Eastern instruments such as the darbuka (percussions), ney, baglama (string instrument), and odd cymbals in their music opting to create a unique form of style not only to reflect their origin but also add to the ever-growing realms of Heavy Metal. Myriad textures are blended into complex web of compositions with killer hooks, Middle Eastern melodies played on guitars, and an incredibly amazing singer with multiple vocal techniques. Murat Ilkan possesses a unique mid-range and is often compared to the likes of Zak Stevens and Bruce Dickinson. I'd also add Ray Alder and Geoff Tate to the list, but the truth is Murat's voice doesn't really sound like any of them. He has no accent, sings crystal clean vocal melodies, but he can also belt out some stunning high screams, if the songs call for it.

All members contribute to the back-up vocals on this record which gives it a lot of depth. Famous female singer Sertab Erener does some soprano leads on the title track and its Turkish version, but other than that, it's mainly Murat Ilkan and the other four guys. There are thirteen tracks on this CD, three of which are sung in Turkish: "Gunduz Gece" (a metallic rework of a famous Turkish poet/lyricist from centuries ago), the second version of "Anatolia", and the hidden closing track "Sonsuzluk" played entirely on acoustic guitars. The song, however, ends with a lonely coda for electric guitar.

Most songs are mid-paced, but since they're characterized by forceful, 70's Sabbath-like monumental guitar riffs, the heaviness of this disc could compete with pretty much everything out there. The band pays great attention to lyrics penning them in a rather thought-provoking manner. "1,000 in the Eastland", for instance, deals with the atrocities of war, particularly those in Eastern Turkey which took the lives of thousands of innocent people. Considering that a former member of the band was killed while serving in the army, this track bears a lot of significance. The pictures in the CD sleeve also complement the dark theme of Anatolia. I particularly enjoy the line that says, "Fighting with hatred feeds the rich men".

"Dark is the Sunlight" has sludgy DOOM METAL riffing with a fantastic bass line from Tarkan Gozubuyuk. The ney instrument really enhances this tune, but this theme is further developed on the band's 2001 release Unspoken. My favourite songs on this disc, although there's not a single filler here, are "Give Me Something to Kill the Pain" for its catchy Middle Eastern hooks and "Behind the Veil" for the killer vocal melodies. Murat Ilkan's talent really comes through on these tunes, particularly in the former, since it features every aspect of his vocal ability. He sings with clear melodic conviction and experiments with beautiful harmonies.

"Welcome the End" and "On the Run" are the heaviest and most complex songs on the CD. "Welcome..." goes back to the band's earlier speed/thrash metal days and integrates throaty "Suicide!" back-up screams. Fragile acoustics run parallel to the bass guitar before giving way to a soaring guitar solo. The technicality is more prevalant in "On the Run" when the band goes into an improvised instrumental section with pummeling drum work and powerful guitar melodies. There is also an instrumental, "Time", which is just an indication of the band's new-found direction. There is plenty of Anatolian metal riffage engulfed in a powerful guitar theme by Hakan Utangac.

If you can find it, you should pick up Pentagram's live album, Popcular Disari, which was released shortly after Anatolia. Aside from the band's back catalog and most songs on Anatolia, the band also does a nice Slayer cover. Likewise, Unspoken is another essential release that treads on the same musical path as its predecessor Anatolia.
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Tracklisting- Anatolia . 1,000 in the Eastland . Dark is the Sunlight . Gunduz Gece . Stand to Fall . Give Me Something to Kill the Pain . Welcome the End . Anatolia . On the Run . Time . Behind the Veil . Fall of a Hero . Sonsuzluk

Anatolia is Pentagram's (a.k.a. Mezarkabul outside of Turkey) 3rd album, and so far has been the one and only landmark heavy metal album in Turkey released by any band.

The album was released 5 years after the 1992's "Trail Blazer"; which had more speed metal elements combined with western melodies. Until Anatolia came out, the quintessential heavy metal fan in Turkey would only listen to western bands like Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth but would not really enjoy his/her own cultural tunes. So this album was quite a shock for all the Turkish heavy metal community, in terms of its folkloric melodies and guitar riffs. Pentagram made people understand that it is possible for Turkish guys to make an outstanding record if they understand their own musical culture, imbibe it, and then go ahead to combine it with western musical infrastructure. Adding to its remarkable success (Anatolia sold over 150K copies only in Turkey. Although it seems slim compared to USA or the UK, this is an unprecedented sales figure for a heavy metal band), Anatolia still remains unequalled in terms of its quality and uniqueness.

The lyrics on the album range from social issues to questioning of life. Songs like "Anatolia" and "1000 In the Eastland" all have some references to the "civil war" that took place in the south-eastern section of Turkey. Pentagram, indeed, lost their first guitarist, Umit Yilbar, in this war in 1993. This is a very controversial issue and officially this war is referred to as "fight against the PKK", a Kurdish terrorist organization. The band's general view is, of course, that this war is meaningless and that it has caused nothing more than pain for everyone. In these songs, the band questions how Anatolia, once the motherland of civilizations, became a land of grievance. Both of these songs have very powerful melodies; "Antolia" being the first single of the album.

"Give Me Something To kill the Pain" is a major hit. It has a great main guitar melody and a catchy chorus. The song is a criticism of the world for not letting people's dreams come true. It goes: "Why must we leave in this drain that we hate? Life is hell for the dreamer, who's seeking the shade".

"Dark Is the Sunlight" is a criticism of mankind destroying both him/herself and the world in which he/she lives. The song is slow-but-heavy, touching and very pessimistic. I love this song. "Gunduz Gece" (meaning "Day and Night") is a cover of a famous folk song by Asik Veysel; a folkloric poet/songwriter lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. The song tells that our journey in life has only two stops: birth and death. The lyrics go "I am going day and night, inside an inn with two doors". This song is one of the fans' favorite in the concerts.

"Stand To Fall" has 80's style powerful drums and guitars and it is a striking song about mankind's endeavor to stand against all the difficulties and burdens of life. But he/she fails in the end because "we stand to fall".

The album's most progressive and successful song is "Behind the Veil". One German magazine wrote that in this song 'Pentagram is trying to prove that they can write a song like Dream Theater'. Well, to a certain extent there could be some influences; nevertheless what you hear is something completely different and unique. There is a combination of "darbuka" and guitars in the bridge section. That part is excellent. The keyboard arrangements also stand out. Lyrically and musically this track is a top Metal song.

Sonsuzluk (meaning "Infinity" in Turkish) is an acoustical gem about the desperate times we have in our lives and how hard it is sometimes for the good days to come. But the message is "never live without hope and always keep trying!".

"Time" is an amazing instrumental song. It has a perfect folkloric melody composed by the band and played excellently by Demir Demirkan, the band's then-guitarist.

Throughout the record, Murat stands out with his operatic vocals, reminding me of Geoff Tate of Queensryche; Demir is at his peak of guitar-solo masterdom, especially when he passes from the Anatolian-folk scale to jazz scale on "Gunduz Gece". An indefinable moment for me... Hakan is powerful with the rhythm and brutal (as always! go brother!!) on the back-vocals. Cenk does an outstanding job on the drums. And Tarkan... His bass is magical and energetic as always.

Buy this album because you'll hear something that you'd never heard before.

Pentagram is also known as Mezarkabul outside of Turkey so that they don't get confused with the American metal band Pentagram.
Anyways these guys play heavy metal mixed with middle eastern music. They throw in some middle eastern instruments here and there but the majority of the middle eastern sound comes from the electric guitar playing in middle eastern musical scales.
These guys don't usually play very fast but they do have a heavy sound none the less. The singer has a great clear power metal type voice. Sometimes it hard to understand him because of his very slight accent. He pronounces his i's like e's and he can't pronounce the th sound in english. The rest of the band does backup singing except on the song Anatolia where they have guest singers. 3 songs are sung in Turkish which has a calming and some what hypnotic sound to it. One of the songs in Turkish is Anatolia which also has the english version as the 1st track.
If you want to try some great heavy metal with some eastern music thrown in then you should get this cd and try to get their others. The asking price here is way too expensive, I myself got it for less than half the asking price here at the British Amanzon so try to get it over there.

I am a fan of Pentagram, and this band deserves lots of fans. This album is their best album. Every song is great, so there is no crap at all. The performance of the vocal (Murat) is great. This album has some influences from Turkish folk music. My favourite tracks are Gunduz Gece, Give Me Something To Kill The Pain, Fall Of A Hero, Behind The Veil and Anatolia. This is a must-have for every metal fan, especially if you like ethnic influences. Also, their live performances are great.

One of the best albums of the decade, definitely in the top 10 with "Nightwish", "Theatre of Tragedy", "Within Temptation".
This is absolutely top-league POWER & SYMPHONIC METAL, a true masterpiece.

It's not just an "ethnic" or "Turkish" music - it is an outstanding international album - yes, there are elements of Middle Eastern (Turkish) music, but they are not dominating, just adding some flavour.
There is rich orchestration, choir,melodies & rhytm - simply missing in other bands which try to cover lack of imagination & creativity with speed & tricks. Convincing and confident male vocalist - a pleasant surprise - no growling & grunting (for the sake of what?)usually hiding lack of voice.
If you grew up with hard & heavy - buy it. The band is using the name "Pentagram", but I think that they are too big for it and should be proud of "Mezarkabul". I wish other albums & DVDs could be available too, and the official Web-site will add a brief English version - at least to help us buy albums etc on-line.
Other albums and DVDS are most strongly recommended - Unspoken, for example; an excellent double CD of 1987 concert

Great band and great music - greetings, best regards, lot of respect and many thanks from Cyprus