Ahvak (translated from the Hebrew "Dust") has gained itself an almost legendry status in the Israeli progressive rock community with its live show and promising demo recording; and while its much anticipated debut album is rewarding, seeing it released on the well known US-based Cuneiform label is even more satisfying.

Ahvak owes much to the modern progressive rock scene, which included acts such as Univers Zero and Present; a scene that introduced progressive rock with a chamber music approach, featuring a dark, often alienated feel.

Ahvak, however, seems to be less oppressive to the listener, as their bizarre compositions have lots of grace and even fun, much thanks to the dominant keyboards that often play in a circus-like manner; this is demonstrated well on "Bherta." Still, it is music that needs to be absorbed over multiple listens, as Ahvak is certainly not for the faint hearted – the band doesn’t fear being vulgar and there are some cacophonic peaks to support that, especially on the lengthier tracks, such as "Ahvak."

The cerebral compositions presented here are mostly built on motives, which usually do not evolve as much as one might wish. It can even be suggested that had the sound been friendlier and more upbeat, Ahvak’s work could have been categorized as jazz-rock, as the band usually takes a melodic statement, builds a passage on it, and then returns to some variation on that original statement, and so on.

Some of this is done in a copy/paste approach, and although it may overall serve the alienated feel, its excessive use might hint of lacking compositional skills; but there are moments that contradict this, and it is less noticeable than it would have been thanks to the exceptional sound engineering (made with the assistance of a computer software) of Udi Koomran (the same guy who was responsible for the passionate sound of Orphaned Land’s El Norra Alila), who makes up for the reported gaps in a way that is revolutionary: Without compromising the integrity of the compositions, the computerized treatment adds twists, sparks and above all, interest and coherence to the compositions – being responsible for many of the variations by creating different settings and filters for the music to pass through, as well as toying with the played music.

Ahvak might have been lost if it hadn’t been for the advanced sound treatment – it is definitely a thing to consider when preparing for their next album, or even earlier, for their live concerts. Yet, if their engineer progresses along with them, there is certainly room for hope. (8.5/10)