Nemrud is a progressive rock band from Istanbul, Turkey established in late 2008.
Until the current formation of the group was settled there had been several changes in the composition of band members. In mid-2010, Nemrud released their first conceptual progressive rock album Journey Of The Shaman via Musea Records from France.
There are three songs in the debut album which tell the story of the physical and spiritual journey of “Mitos,” a shaman living in the steps of Central Asia, upon the message he received from the other world. These three songs represent the three kingdoms in Shamanism belief. According to Shamanism, there is a direct axis attaching the “ground” where people live; the “underground” where dead people move to; and the “sky” in spiritual meaning.
This axis takes place between the middle of the ground and the middle of the sky. There are seven layers in the underground and sky kingdoms. Any shaman to reach to the sky for any reason first has to go under to the underground, hence no one can reach up to the sky without passing through the underground.
Nemrud released its second studio album Ritual in May 2013 via Musea records. The concept is about a schizoid person who tries to face himself in the dreams for his own enlightenment. The recording session used some of the best retro studio techniques available. The band played together for the entire album and recorded less than an hour via 1 inches tapes. Nemrud also released an extended version of Ritual in LP format via Rainbow 45 Records. It is now available in many record stores in Europe.
The band is named after Mount Nemrut; a 2,150-mile high mountain in southeastern Turkey built in 62 BCE, flanked by statues of ancient gods. This mountain is at a sacred place located at the intersection of East and West – two worlds that mankind have believed for hundreds of years.
Nemrud has gone beyond the Turkish standard rock or popular line-chorus structured songs and pushed the technical and composition limits of rock music. There are classic, jazz and avant-garde components in their compositions. Their music shows the general characteristics of progressive rock such as changing melodies and rhythms, refrains from repetition, conceptual and abstract lyrics. The band’s admiration for the golden era of progressive rock is reflected in the epic stories used in the albums.
Influences: Pink Floyd, Eloy, Camel and other bands with psychedelic and symphonic leanings.
Members:
Mert Topel (keyboards)
Mert Alkaya (drums)
Mert Gocay (vocals and guitars)
Aycan Sarı (bass)
Links:
Facebook: facebook.com/nemrudband
Twitter: @nemrudband
Website: www.nemrudband.com
For video/stream nemrudband.com
Listen to the song “Light”
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Nemrud is a progressive rock band from Istanbul, Turkey established in late 2008.
