Multinational threesome AKTOR was formed in 2013, and consist of Finnish musicians Tomi Leppänen and Jussi Lehtisalo, alongside composer and vocalist Chris Black. Following an initial single in 2013 they released their debut album “Paranoia” through German label High Roller Records in 2015.
Some people say, or rather complain, that rock music is dead. That everything has been done in that genre, that there’s nothing new to explore, and that all albums these days is a rehash of stuff others have done before. Statements that probably has a bit of truth in them, besides the fact that in music in general there just isn’t anything really new happening as such, and there never has been. It’s rather a case of slow development, where small details are added here and there by a score of artists people never get to hear about, until an artist hits it big time with a sound and a style heralded as new because the greater parts of the listening audience are unaware of all the artists that have added their own details and nuances to the music they explore.
Aktor is probably such a band, one of those playing around with some details here and there that sounds fairly fresh and innovative, but where some truly dedicated fan may step up and and tell me about all the other artists that have done something in the same vein that I really should know about.
The name of the game here is hard rock, but of a peculiar character. The rhythms are steady and elegantly functional, the bass is solid, and then there’s the guitars, the keyboards and the vocals. The guitars have a firm, hard and clean sound, often making me think about classic rock bands from the 70’s. Occasionally with more of a blues-oriented tone that reminds me ever so slightly of early 80’s ZZ Top, complete with keyboard flavoring, at other times like a watered down take on Black Sabbath’s classic sound. But there’s also something of what I’d tentatively describe as a Tom Petty kind of sound ongoing: Classic, down to Earth and basic rock or hard rock, depending on perspective.
The keyboards have something of a late 80’s character to them, and are carefully applied to produce a myriad of often slightly disturbing effects, given the general context. Often I get synth pop or new wave associations to the textures they produce, at other times more of a late 80’s AOR feel, and on a token few occasions more of an 80’s computer game music and one case also of a song given some cosmic flavoring by keyboards and synthesizers.
Soaring on top of this subtly confusing foundation are the slightly emotionally distant but powerfully controlled vocals of Chris Black, whose presence alone gives these songs something of an otherworldly tinge, emphasized by the aforementioned instrument effects. That there are occasional quirky and unexpected instrument movements here and there further adds to that subtle otherworldly mood and atmosphere that is present throughout this production. At worst odd in an intriguing manner, at best intriguing in an odd manner.
Aktor is one of those bands that will be a minor revelation for those who haven’t come across something quite like this before, and at their best a quality provider of such material for those who have encountered hard rock of a similar nature from other artists. An album that explores if not brand new then at least the lesser explored parts of the hard rock realm, and merits a check by those who feel like a taste of something slightly different from a contemporary hard rock band.
My rating: 76/100
