THE ASTRAL EPISODE

I quite like Embrace the Galaxy, but this one just grates on me. There's probably only 3 out of the 8 songs that I like (tracks 1, 2 and 4), the others just seem to be boring, repeat riffs and vocal lines and have overly long guitar and keyboard solos that are all the same.

For the uninitiated, Space Odyssey are sort of traditional metal/neoclassical prog and sound like Malmsteen, Rainbow, Dio era Sabbath and maybe Symphony X. The are extensive extended guitar and keyboard solos ala Malmsteen (or so I'm told). Patrik Johansson's vocals are also just a bit too much, the harsh side of Dio with a bit more extension and aggro. Great singer, good melodies, but I'd like to see more restraint ala Jorn Lande.

The musicianship is top notch, but if flashiness drowns out, and draws out, a song too long then it's all a bit pointless. At least Richard Andersson's keyboards provide a bit more than straight solos with some nice backing stuff, but it's still too much. A few tacky 80's keyboard sounds also eminate. The drums are a bit lack-lustre and don't add a great deal on this release either, sounds like they were recorded separately (and they probably were).

New album out soon, hopefully they 'breathe' a bit more than on this.