Astra (USA) - The Weirding review
| Band: | Astra (USA) |
| Album: | The Weirding |
| Style: | Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock |
| Release date: | May 2009 |
| Guest review by: | The_Hellion |
01. The Rising Of The Black Sun
02. The Weirding
03. Silent Sleep
04. The River Under
05. Ouroboros
06. Broken Glass
07. The Dawning Of Ophiuchus
08. Beyond To Slight The Maze
Why isn't life simpler? Why is it so difficult to just lie down for a couple of hours without doing anything but listen to a good album once, or even twice? I consider myself a prog freak. I won't start listening to a prog album unless I know I'll be able to finish it. Progressive rock is like a good movie; you don't watch it in chunks, you watch the whole thing and pay a lot of attention to it. The Weirding fits into that category, as an album that tells a story with its music.
The band makes sure to let us know what decade of prog rock influenced them, and that would be the '70s. They use many elements from back then. It is a hypnotic album; there is no need for knowing the names of the songs. Why? Because you won't choose one individual song to listen to. You won't say things like, "You know what song you should really check out?" What has to be done is listening to the whole thing from beginning to end, forgetting about which song you're listening to. I'm being honest when I say that I've heard The Weirding many, many times and I don't know the names of the songs (same thing for progressive classics). This work made me remember A Saucerful Of Secrets, In The Wake Of Poseidon, Eternity's Ocean (someone should really add DICE), and many other progressive classics.
If I had to say something negative about this album, I would say that the thing with bands trying to recreate the past is that they actually make you believe you have already heard the album before. The effort lies in sounding like something that has been done (and mastered) already, so basically their points in originality would be low. Still, the music is excellently performed; it is undeniable that the band members have mastered their instruments and know exactly what they're doing. The musical progressions are so well done that you might not notice the track changes. It is an album that definitely should go into your prog collection.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by The_Hellion | 26.09.2019
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
N/A
N/A
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Rating: N/A |
Whoa, this must be some righteous herb since for a moment there, I was fuckin certain I was at a psychedelic show during the late 60s or early 70s, man... So there I was, content for a little while, mind wandering, conjuring up wicked images of dancing flower girls until... a strange thought crept into my brain. Hmm, this bong seems slightly... unused. There is a layer of dust over it. What's going on? Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 8
Visited by: 19 users
| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62004  |
Prog rock is like bad movie, trailer looks fun, you start to watch, its so bad
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| JoHn Doe Posts: 5084  |
Written by Bad English on 27.09.2019 at 11:22 why do you have to constantly complain about how much you hate prog rock every single time there is something posted about this genre? You are not boring anymore, you've become annoying, no offense. Please stop, everyone knows you hate this kind of music, so it's time to stop. Also, I bet you have not listened to this album reviewed here, which (if I am right) only makes you look like a fool.
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by JoHn Doe on 27.09.2019 at 13:28 Don't take it personally, he just comments for the sake of increasing his post count, even if it means repeating the same thing over and over... Keep it up with the reviews though. I noticed you've been on the site for a while and suddenly drop 3 at once. Got any plans to review more albums down the road??
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| JoHn Doe Posts: 5084 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 27.09.2019 at 17:31 I haven't written any reviews, you have me confused with someone else, I'm not good at writing reviews, I lack the patience. I wrote some on progarchives and re-reading them , some are godawful if you ask me. 
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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| The_Hellion Posts: 5 |
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by JoHn Doe on 27.09.2019 at 17:35 Sorry, I mistook you for OP, but it seems like he got my comment anyway. Even still, you could always try your hand at it again and see what people have to say 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by The_Hellion on 27.09.2019 at 21:38 Maybe some day we see your name on the front page
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| The_Hellion Posts: 5 |
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