Album Review: Astra - The Black Chord

When the drummer in a band doubles as a flautist, it's a sure bet that you're in for one consciousness-altering, mellotron-soaked prog experience. Astra don't disappoint; heck, four out of five of the members in the band list a virtual who's what of every obscure 1970s keyed instrument that squelches and squeals.

The warm tones of vintage circuitry that saturate every minute of the The Black Chord conjure up dreamy imagery of an eight-limbed Keith Emerson holding court circa-1972, dwarfed by wood-grained boxes oozing a swaying forest of patch cables – it's a wall-melting hell of a trip. The Californian quintet warm up their chops with the modest Cocoon, coming in just shy of nine minutes, instrumental of course, and before the rotary cabs have time to whirl down they get straight to business on the The Black Chord, a 15-minute behemoth of a track that's best enjoyed in a comfy bean bag, puffing away and staring deeply into the Roger Dean-esque artwork on the gate-fold. Quake Meat takes the album down a more aggressive path and the vocals of Richard Vaughan and Conor Riley melt into vocoder puddle as Stuart Sciater journeys the length and breadth of the bass guitar. Sciater's the only band member credited with just one instrument, but he commands that bass like no one since Chris Squire, and the acrobatics he forces into the three-minute Bull Torpis are the musical equivalent of watching a svelte Eastern European win gold in rhythmic gymnastics.

Drop the needle on The Black Chord and pack for a lengthy journey.