Saturday 17 March 2018

Astrodome - II (Album Review)


Release date: March 04th 2018. Label: Self Released. Format: Cassette/CD/DD

II – Tracklisting

1.Mirage 10:07
2.Secular Fields 06:12
3.Dawn Gardens 05:41
4.Sunrite 12:06
5.Atlas 06:27

Review

Going back to late 2014, a newly spaced-out band coming from the beautiful city of Porto (Portugal), Astrodome, come on the scene with their charge of psychedelia, fuzz and that seventies aftertaste that never hurts.

Their fist appearance on the scene, Live Demo, although raw in its production and execution (it is still a direct hit during a live) let us guess the potentialities of the Portuguese quartet. With their first self-produced debut album (Astrodome), things immediately became clear. Instrumental psychedelia of high levels with a chilling rhythm section. Listen to the drums on Coronation and I will tell you.

But now, after a line-up change, with Kevin (Big Red Panda, another band to absolutely check out) replacing Pedro at the guitar, they return with II, an album that marks a remarkable dose of maturity compared to previous ones.

While remaining firm to their original sound, the band in this album managed to create something really interesting. The bass/drum rhythm section is something monstrous, able to create that hypnotic background where the guitars and the masterful use of keyboards complete the work for a product that is pure psychedelic, seasoned with the right dose of fuzz and more ' doom ' moments, able to elevate the product towards something wonderful.

In this album the influence of bands like Causa Sui, Weedpecker and also My Sleeping Karma becomes even more evident, while maintaining a certain originality, adding layers of spaciness to their music.

What I really appreciate in this album is the maturity of the band, which should be taken as an example of constant improvement. Probably the charm of a city, beautiful and decadent at the same time, allowed Astrodome to evolve in an excellent way over the years. From a wonderful city a wonderful band.

Words by Bruno Bellisario

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