A Japanese
Prog trio, heavily influenced by
ELP. Following a similar lineup of
keyboards,
bass and
drums, they go for a somewhat
darker feel than ELP, or perhaps focus on songs that are similar to ELP's darker tunes. Their album titles such as
Transi,
The Goddess of Darkness and
The Book of the Dead illustrate thier dark tone. Ars Nova is reminicent of the
Rock in Opposition movement of the late
'70s and early
'80s but arrived on the scene too late to be considered part of that style.
They're also notable as an all-female group, which is somewhat unusual for Japan, but almost unheard of in Progressive music.
I saw this band perform at the Progday festival in Chapel Hill, NC, and it was pretty incredible. The visual/aural contradiction of the three petite Japanese girls up on stage (the drummer smiling away as she played wearing a pink kimono) producing walls of agressive sound is something I will never forget.