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Frontiers Records
by Craig Hartranft, 11.14.2012
Resonance seems a little out of place in the Asia timeline. It's another live album from the band, but from the Omega tour two years ago in Basel Switzerland. Since then the band has released XXX upon the 30 anniversary of their start. Should they have simply waited to this on XXX tour? Possibly. But the band did basically with the Cambridge recording in 2009, Spirit of the Night.
Like that previous live recording, Resonance will also be a CD/DVD combination package. In this review, I can only comment on what is basically 'the soundtrack to the video.' I would rather comment on DVD since, generally speaking, in the 21st century digital world, the full audio-visual presentation is what we all expect. But I doubt that I will not see that for another month. It should be something to look forward to: the performance was filmed using 18 high definition cameras.
Nevertheless, Resonance sounds good, if not a little sterile. In performance, Asia leaves little room for error, even in improvisation. The mix is quite good, better than the previous live album, although sometimes Steve Howe's guitar seems muffled, as on Open Your Eyes. As for the song selection, you get a good cross section of the band's history. Thankfully for fans Asia's doesn't make them wait for hit too long, giving us Only Time Will Tell as the second song. Other major hits, Sole Survivor and Heat of the Moment, come at the end. Overall, without having the visual record to supplement my comments, Resonance is basically a well-polished Asia in an equally polished live performance.
Top tracks: Only Time Will Tell, Heat of the Moment, Holy War, An Extraordinary Life, The Heat Goes On, Go.
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TweetOverall, without having the visual record to supplement my comments, Resonance is basically a well-polished Asia in an equally polished live performance.
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