PHOENIX

Hm… what to say about this album? A slightly-above-average album. And a bit disappointment from Asia. Underdevelopment of ideas is the main problem with this album. For example, on many songs, choruses are very similar… And songs adhere to a very, very basic structure. The are some exceptions but they’re like more proving the rule. But honestly, after having listened Promo version of this album I expected much, much worse than this. I remember, in my friends house how I struggled listening this album from start to end after about four or five songs.

I must say, my opinion slightly changed after playing an official version of album. This album has an excellent production which made me able to focus more on music, so now I don’t find this album unlistenable at all. The best song from here is definitely Parallel Worlds / Vortex / Deya. Anyway, the Deya part uncannily resembles Love Story melody. Other good songs are rocky Never Again, sweet but pleasing Heroine, melancholic Orchard Of Mines. Extraordinary Life closes album in solid way.

Alibis would be an excellent song were it, as I said before in the context of whole album, more developed. Verse part is a bit to cheesy for me in this song. Also a closing theme could be more developed… It’s otherwise okay, though it could be much, much better. Nothing’s Forever, I Will Remember You and Over And Over suffer from this cheesy underdeveloped chorus problem also… But some moments en these song are really first class, so they have much potential, were they properly used. Shadow Of The Doubt is a plain and typical “Alpha-song” nothing special. Sleeping Giant / No Way Back / Reprise also doesn’t get to mu heart, mainly because the middle part has little correlation with other ones.

I think Wetton was again the main songwriter on this album. With more diversity in this aspect the album do better. But, anyway no song from this album can be named “bad”. Just forgettable at worst. Perhaps few songs from this album could take place among Asia’s best-of catalog, but excellent (especially Howe’s, which literally couldn’t be heard on the promo version) playing make this album worth listening. Not the best alum Asia has done, (and maybe not among the best) but really solid.

3 stars or maybe slightly less… No, alright - 3. A positive result anyway…