From the name of the band, to the Roger Dean tribute of an album sleeve, and most importantly of all in the music, Astra are a progressive rock band in the old-fashioned sense of the word. Retro they might be, but for a lover of 70’s prog like me who has just about exhausted the supply of the real thing, Astra are a god-send. From the opening swirling keyboards of ‘The Rising Of The Black Sun’ to its ringing guitar solo, it is as if it is 1973 all over again. Seguing seamlessly into the title track, with laid-back Floydian vocals, a King Crimson-like mellotron in the mid-section, and more endless guitar soloing and riffing, you have fifteen minutes of prog heaven. ‘Silent Sleep’ is another ten minute epic, and this time the guitar solo introduces the song, before taking a back seat for a dreamy, flute-led piece. The guitar returns towards the end for another cracking solo, followed by some organ-work that rivals Keith Emerson’s efforts on early ELP records, and ending this superb song on a real high. ‘The River Under’ has the keyboards more up-front, giving it a Camel/Genesis feel, and also has a more conventional song structure, making it more instantly accessible. ‘Ouroboros’ is another lengthy instrumental, clocking in at seventeen minutes, but with not one of them wasted. Spacey keyboards lead into some nice guitar soling, then the organ gets a chance to show its paces, before the guitar returns for some more extended soloing, building up into a thunderous finale. The band manage to keep this simple format interesting throughout the piece, and despite its length it doesn’t drag at all. To help you come down after that guitar overload, ‘Broken Glass’ is a much simpler song – almost folk, with its acoustic guitar and gentle melody, and is followed by ‘The Dawning Of Ophiuchus’, which is another exhilarating instrumental. The album closes with ‘Beyond To Slight The Maze’, with the vocals at their most ‘Meddle’-era Floyd, and its eleven minute length giving both the guitar and organ chances to shine on their solos, which build up to a climactic finale. As befits music of this pedigree I went for the double vinyl issue, which came in a gatefold sleeve on multi-coloured vinyl, with a free poster and bonus 7” of two extra songs. It might have been a bit more expensive, but I can see this album becoming a collectors item in some circles when word of its quality starts getting around. Whatever format you prefer, if your are into classic 70’s prog rock then there are no two ways about it – you HAVE to get this album.
