OMEGA

Well, it took me long time to get this one. I heard a lot of criticism about Omega. And considering that I liked Phoenix a lot, I was afraid of some kind of disappointment. When I finally got it I was neither overjoyed nor unhappy with what I heard. it´s really good, I must say. Those guys know how to deliver a terrific pop-rock/AOR music with some obvious prog influences here and there. No news about that. Still, I think Phoenis is better, specially prog-wise (but not much!).

It almost seems like Omega was released a little too fast for its own good. They could have worked out the songs a little more in terms of instrumental arrangements. They could be a little bolder, like they were on Phoenix. However, there is nothing wrong with Omega either, if you enjoy the trademark Asia sound. There are no fillers and the production is absolutely great. The vocal harmonies have improved quite a lot (just listen to Through My Veins). A couple of overtly sentimental ballads kind of annoy me, but again it should be expected on an Asia CD. And those are my only complaint songwriting-wise: Ever Yours is too much like Phoenix´s Heroine. I could do without it. Even then, they are not really bad per se either. It is just a matter of taste.

Aside from that, the album flows smoothly. The album startts very well with the hard rocking Finger On the Trigger, followed by the excellent aforementioned Through My Veins. But the highlights for me are Holy Wars and End Of The World. Both will be probably feature in any future compilation. The remaining tracks are also at least good. The performances are superb, as anyone might expect from those seasoned musicians. Sometimes I wish Steve Howe could play a little more on the fore, but Downe´s use of vintage sounding keyboards (since Phoenix) instead of those cheesy synths he played for so long is again very welcomed.

Conclusion: if you like Asia, go for it! Although maybe not as good as the previous Phoenix, Omega has everything the fans wanted. Very classy pop rock with some prog influences. After all those years those guys can deliver melodic rock like very few others. Rating: if PA was a pop/AOR site I´d give Omega a 4 or 4.5 stars rating. For a progressive site 3 stars seem fair enough.