Music Outpost

The Israeli band Ahvak, named after the Hebrew word for “Dust,” creates chamber rock of dark, ominous and compelling beauty.  Blurring the lines between classical, rock, and folk styles, Ahvak follow in the footsteps of such Rock in Opposition bands as Univers Zero, The Science Group, Sotos, Thinking Plague and the 5UUs. 

Founded in late 2000 by bassist Ishay Sommer and keyboardist Roy Yarkoni, Ahvak’slineup has grown to include Yehuda Kotton (guitar), Udi Susser (keyboard/woodwinds), and leading prog-rock drummer Dave Kerman (drums).  Together with internationally acclaimed studio engineer Udi Koomran, Ahvakcreate sonically inventive tracks that defy singular classification.

Their debut release, Ahvak, includes everything from chilling ambient tracks, to fast-paced and eccentric percussion pieces.  Within the span of a single song, Ahvak’s sound will transport you from a bustling carnival crowd, to a somber funeral procession, to the depths of hell and back again.

Peter Thelen, of Exposé Magazine, describes Ahvak as a band with “driving ferocious expediency that boldly eclipses their peers.”  Thelen’s co-editor at Exposé, Jeff Melton, agrees. “By extracting the root of a music source,” he writes, “[Ahvak] manage to bypass the plateaus of earlier success.  Fans of Univers Zero will again rejoice…” (Exposé, No. 29, April 2004)

Ahvak have been instrumental in shaping Isreal’s reputation as one of the most vibrant progressive rock scenes in the world.  They continue to inspire to this day.

Cuneiform band page

Prog-sphere review of "Ahvak - Ahvak"