SILENT NATION

This album was for me a great disappointment. All the inspiration the band had when writing "Aura" is gone here, leaving a bunch of insipid songs. Listening to those songs makes me feel that I'm listening to some demos or unreleased material like on the Archiva releases. Clearly the influence of Geoff Downes is lower here - this album has a John Payne type of sound. Now I don't wonder why Geoff Downes left Asia recently - his collaboration with John Wetton for the "Icon" album was much more successful and I would strongly recommand "Icon" over "Silent Nation".

Considering "Silent Nation", I don't see many songs that get out of the pack. "The Prophet" is a soft rock song, maybe the only one that retains the emotion of the previous albums. And maybe the title track and the rocking "What About Love"... Rating: 62/100