With the southern cross in the sky, and a turtle swimming in the pacific, I was intrigued by this album even before I put it on the player. For me, growing up and living in the UK for the first 40 years of my life, the Pacific seemed very much like a far away place, not anymore. In Auckland I am close to the largest Pasifika community in the world, I have holidayed in both the Cook Islands and Tonga, and even decided not to go to Hawaii with my wife and daughter as I would rather wait and go to somewhere like Niue. To top it all, I have a tattoo on the top of my left arm of two turtles, one embedded inside the other, representing myself and my wife on our journey through life – this was done in Rarotonga while my wife also has a tattoo from the same studio.
One of my favourite NZ metal bands is the Maori-based Alien Weaponry, while the Auckland band Shepherds Reign are Samoan and use the Pātē (log drum) in their music, so I have come across some interesting musical collisions previously, but not quite the same as this. What steel guitarist Paul Agar has attempted here is to blend two of his passions, the steel guitar and the South Pacific, the question is does it really work? First off, one must say that this is an incredibly relaxing album, with the steel being gently picked and normally in the lead, with any vocals being wordless chants in the background. It is full of sun and sunshine, packed with the laid-back atmosphere and way of live one gets when visiting the islands, while the communities are always incredibly friendly, and this also comes through.
I must confess I haven’t listened to much Pacifica music unless it has been included in metal, so am not sure if what I am saying next is correct, but the steel guitar is not an instrument one expects to hear in this context. The most common stringed instrument is the ukulele, which everyone seems to play, and while that can be heard to some extent, it is way too far in the background. For me the steel will always feel very much of Hawaiian music, and not the south at all. The result is while the songs are all inspired by different events and places, some of which took place here in Aotearoa, it doesn’t really feel balance. The use of a standard drum kit does not help either, as I would much rather one did not feature on the album at all.
The overall result is something which is pleasant, but in terms of melding the two different concepts it does fall somewhat wide of the mark. But if one is interested in hearing a steel guitar in a Pacific context then this may be for you.
Rating: 6/10
