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Astral Doors - Astralism
Release: 2006Label: Locomotive Music
By: Anders
Posted: Apr 15, 2006
After the great appetizer, the mini album "Raiders Of The Ark" that was released late last year, I guess most of us was looking forward to this album with high expectations. This is the Swedes' third full length album, and as the previous continues the style of pure heavy metal mixed with melodic hard rock, straight ahead, captivation and powerful.
It would be a big fat lie to say that Astral Doors do something others haven't done before, that's not the name of the game. The band delivers their rocky metal in the good old fashioned and classic way, if you would you could easy pinpoint 10 bands that Astral Doors get their influence from, though not one that they sound exactly like. The band oozes of energy and the music is delivered in a very convincing manner. The guitar play is flawless, we get tons of great riffs, good leads and ripping solos. Though the best part of the musical mayhem is the organ, delivered by Joakim Roberg, fuck it's good and fitting all the time. Powerful and adding the last part of the atmospheric touch, making either the music more powerful or more majestic. The vocals from Patrik Johansson are of course also superb, he has become one of my favourite vocalists by far, no doubt about that. The range he possesses, together with the great deal of emotion he always puts in his performance, are amazing and awe-inspiring. And no matter how the song is, he always fits, no matter if it's an up-tempo heavy metal tune as 'EVP', a more calm and atmospheric rock tune as 'Israel', the vocals goes hand in glove with the music all the time.
To be honest the album isn't the revelation I had hoped for, in the long run it starts to feel like a long album. Some ideas and such go again in the songs, which might be difficult to avoid when delivering music as this. Though the album is lifted by the great musicianship, the vocals and the powerful and very fitting production, and of course the massive amount of sheer energy that is present on the album. This is a must for all fans of classic heavy metal and hard rock, this is damn good!
It would be a big fat lie to say that Astral Doors do something others haven't done before, that's not the name of the game. The band delivers their rocky metal in the good old fashioned and classic way, if you would you could easy pinpoint 10 bands that Astral Doors get their influence from, though not one that they sound exactly like. The band oozes of energy and the music is delivered in a very convincing manner. The guitar play is flawless, we get tons of great riffs, good leads and ripping solos. Though the best part of the musical mayhem is the organ, delivered by Joakim Roberg, fuck it's good and fitting all the time. Powerful and adding the last part of the atmospheric touch, making either the music more powerful or more majestic. The vocals from Patrik Johansson are of course also superb, he has become one of my favourite vocalists by far, no doubt about that. The range he possesses, together with the great deal of emotion he always puts in his performance, are amazing and awe-inspiring. And no matter how the song is, he always fits, no matter if it's an up-tempo heavy metal tune as 'EVP', a more calm and atmospheric rock tune as 'Israel', the vocals goes hand in glove with the music all the time.
To be honest the album isn't the revelation I had hoped for, in the long run it starts to feel like a long album. Some ideas and such go again in the songs, which might be difficult to avoid when delivering music as this. Though the album is lifted by the great musicianship, the vocals and the powerful and very fitting production, and of course the massive amount of sheer energy that is present on the album. This is a must for all fans of classic heavy metal and hard rock, this is damn good!
Rating: 8/10
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