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Birth: Born

Regardless of what the bands over wordy press release may well say, this is to all intents and purposes good old fashioned Progressive Rock.

Working out of San Diego, Birth (featuring former members of the now defunct Astra) have created what is ultimately a fairly decent Prog Album with its musical roots firmly planted in the 1970`s, and dominated by the clever use of the Mellotron and the trusty old Hammond B3. So if you’re looking for sonic touchstones well then it’s the likes of Yes, King Crimson as well as VDGG.

Six tracks spread over a running time of 42 minutes which means that most tracks are fairly lengthy in nature, of which 2 are instrumentals (the title track and Cosmic Tears) both are songs that delve deep into the Prog world as well as touching on some aspects of Jazz fusion too, and really do sound as though they were recording sometime in the early 70`s.

As for the rest of the material, it’s generally on point with an air of authenticity to it. The vocals don`t really do much for me personally, but that’s more than made up for with the excellent musicianship with the albums longest track `For Yesterday` being the stand out, and displays a band very much in tune with their many influences.

Is this a startling original album? No, but it is a record that will keep fans that still yearn for the expansive musings of their aforementioned influences more than content.


Track Listing
1.Born
2.Descending
3.For Yesterday
4.Cosmic Tears
5.Another Time
6.Long Way Down

Added: July 27th 2022
Reviewer: Malcolm Smith
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 1127
Language: english

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Birth: Born
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2022-07-27 15:42:50
My Score:



'Born' out of the ashes of Astra comes Birth, the new retro prog band featuring former Astra members Conor Riley (vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar), Brian Ellis (guitars, keyboards, percussion), and Paul Marrone (drums), along with Trevor Wast on bass guitar. Their brand new album for Bad Omen Records/Metal Blade is entitled Born, and whether this officially puts Astra to rest or not remains to be seen, but fans of that band will certainly love the sumptuous '70s prog sounds across this new release. Comprised of six new songs at just about 40-minutes in length, Born is a wealth of stinging guitar solos, loads of Hammond Organ, Moog, electric piano, Mellotron, leathery bass, and intricate drums; the music evoking images of vintage Nektar, Cathedral, Eloy, and other assorted greats of the '70s, but still featuring the elements that made Astra such a much hear band. The title track, "Long Way Down", "Cosmic Tears", and "Descending Us" are just a few of the standout tracks here, filled with drama, atmosphere, and fiery playing, as the album sounds like it could have come from a time capsule circa 1971. The vocals are decent, and while they might not be the album's strong point, they fit the music just fine. In short, Born is an easy contender for progressive rock album of 2022.



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