ASTRONAUTICA

Five years after their last studio album, here comes the awaited "Astronautica". The finnish space rockers become more and more ferocious year after year. The music is not very folky or ethnic anymore. Does this mean HIDRIA SPACEFOLK mutated into a complete copycat of OZRIC TENTACLES and lost their identity? Not really. While their guitar sound is definitely heavier, the band explores new sonorities and musical directions. As you will see, there will be a few surprises in this opus...

The opener "Ad Astra" is simply bombastic! Cosmic metal in the style of a boosted HAWKWIND, and featuring a great finale. A modern space-rock classic. "Cycloop" has also very agressive riffs and alternates mystical and dark atmospheres with discrete softer moments. The 12 minutes "Badding" is the longest track of the record, and also one of the most progressive by HIDRIA SPACEFOLK. It's a patchwork of different ambiances, such as melancholic, space, pop rock, metal or heroic. It even contains some jazzy keyboards! Although less remarkable than the other tracks, "Endymion" is also nice with its strange opening. However, a bigger surprise approaches with the ending "Seirenes". This composition is the heaviest of the record, and sounds like a lost obscure doom metal song with its gloomy organ.

This is definitely not the space-folk we knew on "HDRSF-01" and "Symbiosis" anymore. Not entirely space-rock either, it shows the finnishs emancipating from their initial OZRICs influences by incorporating other genres such as symphonic, jazz or metal. In fact, in ten years, the band's style has more changed than their british elders'. HIDRIA SPACEFOLK is just building their own new identity.

Anyway, "Astronautica" is quite recommended to HAWKWIND and OZRIC TENTACLES fans. It will be interesting to see which musical directions will be taken for the next album...

Share this HIDRIA SPACEFOLK review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Modrigue
• Report this review (#1548909)
• Buy HIDRIA SPACEFOLK music online with PA partners
• Show all HIDRIA SPACEFOLK MP3/Stream
• Go to HIDRIA SPACEFOLK page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Astronautica page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for HIDRIA SPACEFOLK related discussions