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Tuesday, 22 April 2008 |
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Courtesy of Shipwreck Island Studios: Seeing a reunion the likes of this doesn’t come along everyday and considering that Asia are pretty much the first supergroup of the 1980s it’s simply amazing to see all the original faces back together again. It’s one of those special moments in the music industry itself and with John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer back as the one and only Asia gives fans a sense of wonderment to see if this group could recapture the magic they had in the early 80s.
The last time the world got an album of new material from this group with all four original members was back in 1983 with the release of Alpha. With a 25 year gap in place one might be concerned that Asia wouldn’t be able to combine all their efforts and release material that is up to par with what has made them one of the greatest supergroups to ever take form but right from the opening note of Never Again all fear is cast aside as these guys prove that they can still go there and produce musicianship that is quintessential Asia. The album does somewhat get bogged down after several tracks but taking into consideration that this band has always been a progressive rock group at it’s very core there’s a little more substance behind the songwriting and once you give the album a numerous amount of spins it is simply a defining moment for the Asia legacy. The fact that the album is named Phoenix is very fitting as just like a phoenix Asia has risen up out of the ashes to give listeners an album that brings Wetton, Downes, Howe, and Palmer back to the threshold of greatness and beyond. There have been bands from the classic rock era who have tried time and time again to remain relevant in today’s market and thankfully Asia got all the elements right with an album that is a worthy addition to their catalogue. In the end it’s just nice to see another powerful group of artists back together making music that is not only very legitimate but still carries some strong messages behind it. |
