Raya

Abbhama is a forgotten and very obscure symphonic prog band coming from far est , more specific from Indonesia, a country who has some bands who did a great job in prog rock realm like Guruh Gypsy or Shark Move before Abbham was born. They manage to create a single album in 1978 named Alam Raya (transleted in great nature or universe) released on cassete format. The music is very sweet , mainly because the voice of Iwan Madjid, who has a very pleasent almost melancholic voice but good for sure, the sound is aswell naive, mellow in places , close to Yes or Genesis but they heve their own twist , some oriental arrangements give them a special status.

Abbhama was born in 1977 and was the brainchild of the talented keyboardist Iwan Madjid, who was clearly influenced by Yes, Genesis, ELP and all the Symphonic icons but with also a strong French and Italian influence, the special touch are the lyrics sung in their native language and the clear ethnic influences. The addition of Oboe by Hendro (that's how the musician is credited) gave them a very special and unique taste. Due to the strong and characteristic Indonesian sound, Abbhama could have a place in Folk Prog, but the essence of their music is clearly Symphonic. Sadly their story ends with the release of Alam Raya, proving once more that you don't only need to be skilled but also require to have the luck of being born in a country with a strong musical industry.