BIO
Alkera is a progressive metal band based in Istanbul, Turkey which was formed in 2015 by Yalçın Hafızoğlu (drums), Faruk Aydın Toksöz (guitar), and Ali Göktürk (keyboards). The band focuses on composing music in the progressive metal genre, with lyrics in both Turkish and English. Over time, the lineup expanded to include Onur Çobanoğlu (vocals) and Ozan Mustafa Tuncal (bass).
Group members possess a range of talents that not only support their music musically but also span across different areas. For instance, the band's keyboardist, Ali, is also a programmer and develops a world-renowned keyboard software called KeyStage. The band's drummer, Yalçın, is also a well-known actor and regularly takes part in various national projects. The lead singer of the group, who is also a lyricist, Onur, is also a voice-over artist and a session singer and collaborates with international agencies and musicians from all over the world. The band's indispensable bass guitarist, Ozan, is a graphic designer who also creates much of the group's visual work himself. As the spine of Alkera music with his riffs, guitarist Faruk also shares various instructional videos on his YouTube channel and is a guitar tutor as well.
"Alkera" means the dream time of the Aboriginals. Before the world was created, the Aborigines believed that all living things in the universe existed only as spirits. This myth is described as the "dream time". Spirits existed in Alchera before everything else and these spirits found bodies in the world and returned to Alchera after they died, and from there to the world to meet another body cyclically. A belief like reincarnation is similar to Indian culture.
The band was founded in 2015 but officially began its musical journey with the release of their EP "Live in Sin" in 2018, followed by "Coexist" in 2021. One of their most notable works is their debut full-length album, "Zamanın Ötesine" (Beyond Time), released in 2024. Alkera's distinctive style combines technical proficiency with a conceptual storytelling approach.
DISCOGRAPHY
2018: Live in Sin (EP)
This EP contains 2 songs: Falls Within and Live in Sin. A progressive journey with a total duration of almost 17 minutes and this is the first release by Alkera in 2018. As a side note, after their full album release in 2024, Alkera created a medley from Live in Sin and Spectral Heaven and created "Live in Spectral Heaven" and performed this new metamorphed structure in their concerts.
2021: CoExist (EP)
ALKERA has released their EP called COEXIST in early 2021. COEXIST reflects the main idea of the upcoming album and act as a prologue of a gripping journey with its conceptual approach and a moving story to which we can all relate. The whole story has been released and completed as single tracks through 2021.
"COEXIST" is a prologue consisting of 3 compositions that deal with the mental processes experienced by a person who wants to escape the custody he is in. An adventure in which the person starts to see his body, not his surroundings, as a prison. A story we wrote inspired by the pandemic that we all forcefuly lived in.
"A Living Prison" takes us to the depths of a self-conflicting human awareness where the real distress occurs between matter and mind. "Mental Nomad" is the most courageous journey ever to get rid of the body, the "so-called" prison. As we have companions in our lives, you -the mind traveler- will keep having different guides throughout this journey only to find a resolution with the "Spectral Heaven".
2022: Taş Yuva | Petrified (Single)
The "Taş Yuva" (Petrified) composition is Alkera's first song with Turkish lyrics. It metaphorically describes feelings of abandonment by personifying a petrified house and narrating the interactions and struggles it experiences with the people who try to engage with it. This song has a diversity of emotions and narratives both in terms of vocal structure and composition.
2024: Zamanın Ötesine | Beyond Time (ALBUM)
This concept album reflects their intricate style and artistic vision, garnering significant attention.
Zamanın Ötesine (Beyond Time) is an album that primarily aims to be genuine. It knows that in order to be sincere with its audience, it must first be truthful to itself, and it strives to present its awareness in the way it loves the most, in its own unique style. Instead of demonizing the bad or following Jean-Paul Sartre's famous phrase "Hell is other people" while telling its story, it takes a different approach and accepts the unwanted as part of itself. It believes that all the problems we face today are the result of viewing evil as external and good as internal, trapping us in this spherical existence.
This unconventional thesis is presented through a similarly unconventional narrative, but its perspective is far from a romantically optimistic one. On the contrary, you'll encounter stark outlines in the depiction of heavy emotions. You may come across emotions explored at a psychotic level throughout the album. These intense experiences are yours and seek to be understood by you once again. Perhaps it is these repressed emotions that compel us to create these riffs and narratives. If Beyond Time evokes similar feelings in its listeners, we will have established the connection we seek.
Alkera, continuing their endeavors at the same pace, keeps sharing all their works such as singles and albums on social media platforms, and remains committed to connecting with progressive music enthusiasts in this region.