ASTRA

Though I enjoy some songs that Asia have made, I certainly do not enjoy most of their releases. A good half of their material sounds exactly the same as the song before it, but that dosen't really matter here. Sometimes the formula works, and sometimes it dosen't; it does not work at all here. This album is a large load of cheese with little progressive leanings anywhere, not to mention it sounds extremely dated.

1.Go - An below average opener, but with good use of church organ and piano. This interesting opening sequence turns into the average rocker with steady beat, naturally boring vocals and one note guitar lines that are so simple that it makes "Smoke on the Water" look like a prog epic. A dissapointing start to a crap album. (4/10)

2.Voice of America - You could really tell that the tracks are loosing their steam, as this sounds extremely close to something Poison or Motley Crue (of the two, Motley is much better than most of Asia's music on this album...) was doing around the same time and decade. The track has terribly cheesey lyrics, maybe a play on the Bruce Springsteen song "Born In the U.S.A."? Who wants to know, certainly not me. (2/10)

3.Hard On Me - The first track I would consider to be true arena rock. The otheres were leaning on it, but this song really takes the cake and uses cheesey electronic techniques, vocal harmonies, lyrics, syntheziers and guitar playing. Where is the music? (1/10)

4.Wishing - The track I wish went somewhere. The song has such an interesting opening, but the track soon turns into the average Asia trap of averageness. Could have been a cool proggy 80s song, but really dosent go anywhere. (3/10)

5.Rock n Roll Dream - I've heard this electronic mess for too long now, and the song really just lasts too long for me. A song about the troubles of being a rocker, the track has better lyrics than the rest, but the music is way to electronic and cheesey that it really does not make the track any better than it really is. (5.5/10)

6.Countdown to Zero - I might seem like a broken record, but.....standard Asia is written all over the track. The only thing that saves the track from skip is the exceptional vocal performance from John Wetton, but the track just is a bore. (6/10)

7.Love Now Till Eternity - Wow....i found the worst track on the album. I may not have realized it a few years ago...but this song has possibly the worst opening sequence in all of prog rock or even rock history. This track is just s**t. Sorry to say, but nothing can save the track from complete commercial pop and AOR sound. (0.5/10)

8.Too Late - Though I do like the fairly soft vocal harmonies that build with the organ in the opening, the track simply cant go anywhere. The solid beat is nice though, the track is a total 1980s mess. (3/10)

9.Suspicion - A track that i particularly like. The track has a nice soft beat, and is easily the top cut from the album with its lush keyboard sounds and lower vibe that sets the mood for cool nights. (7.5/10)

10.After the War - A decent closer, but this song does not save the album at all. The track is an Asia standard, but well put together. The keyboards tend to be tedious and harsh on the ears, but the track is better than alot of songs on the album. Vocals are a low point though. (6.5/10)

This album is absolutly horrible, and I feel bad for the fans who were expecting a good album, as they would have to wait until 1994 or 2008, depending on what kind of fan you are. 1 star for an album that is only for fans, as this album will not appeal to prog heads at all.