Classic Rock Start Page Album Review
ASIA - Silent Nation
1. What About Love 5:25
2. Long Way From Home 6:00
3. Midnight 6:23
4. Blue Moon Monday 7:16
5. Silent Nation 6:04
6. Ghost In The Mirror 4:37
7. Gone Too Far 6:48
8. I Will Be There For You 4:09
9. Darkness Day 6:17
10. The Prophet 5:15
© 2004 InsideOut Music
ASIA e-mail: asia@globalnet.co.uk
ASIA website: www.asiaworld.org
A new, great album of Asia!
Playing around the world for some 22 years now, again Asia managed to produce a fresh album, containing 10 songs of high quality!
Four years from Aura, it was a challenge to come with another studio-album, because the expectations were high. With what would they come up?
Don't worry, I can asure you it's worth listening to!
The album-opener, "What About Love", is a strong song with a lot of power! Open up the volume! Good guitarwork from Guthrie Govan as well as keyboards from the old master Geoff Downes run into your room! "Long Way From Home" stands with good singing and nice, subtle guitars. John Payne's voice fits well in the music of Asia. "Midnight" is a fine uptempo melodic piece of rock, with a nice Hammondsound. A rather "easy" piece follows with "Blue Moon Monday", although it has its parts of power. The album's title-song "Silent Nation" begins easy, with fine keyboards, but turns into a great piece of music: suprising melodies with great singing and guitarwork. Quite right the namegiver!! "Ghost In The Mirror", is a nice intermezzo, and "Gone Too Far" proves that Asia still can compose power ballads. "I Will Be There" brings back Asia's 80's-sound, with a fantastic guitarsolo in the end! "Darkness Day"
has indeed a dark sound, it sounds a little bit sad. "The Prophet" is a traditional "ending-song" that closes the album. Also in this song some fine guitarsolo's, and they show extremely well the quality of playing of Govan.
Still not mentioned but very important for the rhythm-section: drummer Chris Slade, who happens to be a rock-icon (Manfred Mann, Uriah Heep, AC/DC), completes the quartet of Asia with his powerful drumming!
This album rocks and is good quality. Fresh songs, that makes this Asia-album highly recommended to listen to!!
Review by: Clemens Steenweg, September 2004