Astra - The Weirding

Thrilling neo-prog from San Diego. Mellotrons ahoy!

Even though you may have hidden prog albums under the bed when punk came along, you may not have really finished with it as a source of transcendence and belly laughs in equal measure. One of the most rewarding developments of recent years has been the rediscovery of several key prog texts and, against the odds, the emergence of a number of convincingly brainy, full-on neoprog outfits.

On the evidence of The Weirding, Astra stand tall among the latter. Hailing from San Diego, they make a fine fist of summoning forth the swirling, magisterial portent so essential to the genre. The title track, for example – all 15 languidly unfolding minutes of it – is a glorious collision of King Crimson’s Epitaph, the Floyd’s Echoes and Planet Caravan by Black Sabbath. Bubbling wah-wah guitar, with delay pedal set on “stun”, traces silvery patterns among solemn Mellotron flutes; a failsafe conduit to bliss.

Crucially, Astra not only understand the importance of a slow build in creating heady atmospherics, but they also have the chops necessary to sustain interest over the course of extended pieces, such as the 17-minute Ouroboros and 11- minute album closer, Beyond To Slight The Maze. Buy it on double-vinyl for the full gatefold effect…

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Rise Above | RISECD 120

Reviewed by Marco Rossi
<< Back to Issue 365

You might also like:

Login Here

Free Newsletter


Subscribe to
our email newsletter by emailing:

anna.bowen@
metropolis.co.uk