Astronomica marks the return of Prog-Metal pioneers Crimson Glory. Led by Axe-Master Jon Drenning's impressive guitar prowess and colorful vocalist Midnight's operatic pipes, Crimson Glory made quite a splash in the mid-80's with their self-titled debut album and with the chart-topping "Transcendence" which gave them their first hit, "Lonely." But, after the release of the experimental "Strange & Beautiful" the band members decided to pursue other projects. Now, Crimson Glory have rejoined, and they've delivered a very powerful theme-based album filled with Shred, high vocals and progressive overtones. In other words, Astronomica as a package, is everything a Crimson Glory fan, a Prog-Metal fan, or a Metal fan would want.

Astronomica is packed with guitar as the team of the awesome Jon Drenning and Ben Jackson provide some of the heaviest, most inventive, most melodic shred this side of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. The vocals are handled by newcomer Wade "War Machine" Black (formerly of Florida metal outfit Lucian Black) and believe me, the band has not lost a step. If anything, they sound better. Trained by the same vocal trainer as Geoff Tate (Queensryche), Black's vocal versatility shines throughout Astronomica. He can hit the Halford-style notes and he can growl with the best of them, but he can also sing beautifully, as you will see when you listen throughout Astronomica. The rhythm section is handled by original bassist Jeff Lords and the legendary Dr. Killdrums, Steve Wacholz (Savatage) and they both sound great, very tight. The songs are very well written and fit the theme well, the album flows, as a story should, very innovative and inventive.

Here's the track by track review:
1. March To Glory - Intro. Military-Style Opening Track. Cool guitar riff.
2. War Of The Worlds - Great song. Very Heavy, check out Wade's wails and growls.
3. New World Machine (MetalGod's Pick) - Very catchy song, heavy melodic riff and great vocals. Great Bass as well.
4. Astronomica - Starts off with a very cool middle-eastern riff then picks up. Once again, Black's vocal versatility is displayed.
5. Edge Of Forever - Great ballad with awesome guitars.
6. Touch The Sun - An epic. Wacholz shines on the drums and black hits some serious notes. Awesome solo which features Drenning, Jackson and Lords trading leads simultaneously.
7. Lucifer's Hammer - Heavy as Hell, hence the name.
8. The Other Side Of The Midnight - A beautiful song with beautiful guitars and beautiful vocals, yet there's an evil twist to it.
9. Cyber-Christ - Heavy song with a bit of a "modern" touch to it. Great Axe work.
10. Cydonia - Another epic. Great song, great closer.

The word "Awesome" comes to mind when I try to describe Astronomica. A theme-based album with a great Alien-Oriented back story, solid rhythm section, stellar vocals, and the great Jon Drenning shredding away, it's a much-needed shot in the arm for the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal/Prog-Metal Genre. I highly recommend this album, it's one of those albums which you can turn into a true listening experience. It'll be in my player for a long time and it should be in yours as well.

No Masks, No Mercy! Astronomica redefines Melodic Power Metal for the new Millenium. Drenning's guitar work is astonishing. Crimson Glory has not lost a step. Pick it up!!

-MetalGod

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