Astralism

Astral Doors | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Locomotive Spain
• ASIN: B000ENUYQI
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,703 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Astral Door is Open, September 8, 2006

By 

Ryan Seek "trans-siberian_outcast" (Maricopa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Astralism (Audio CD)

I've been a huge fan of Astral Doors since hearing their 2004 debut album Of The Son And The Father. Astral Doors' sound can be described accurately and succinctly; Dio-era Rainbow on steriods. It's old school metal with a modern sound. The riffage has a bit of that old Blackmore tone to it and the rhythm section is super-solid. The icing on the cake is the godly singing of Nils Patrik Johannson, whose Dio-esque vocals are more powerful and passionate than RJD himself (yes, he's that amazing).

The debut album was old-school metal for sure, but leaned more toward the hooky hard-rock side of metal. 2005's Evil Is Forever picked things up a notch, with slightly faster tempos and riffs, a little closer to power metal tempo. I liked EiF but I thought the added speed and aggression sacrificed their ablity to write really melodic and hooky riffs and melodies. Thankfully, Astralism goes back in the slower (a relative term), more calculated approach of the first album.

Whichever AD album you buy, you can't go wrong if you're a fan of old-school hard rock and metal. Because this is the way it should be played two or three decades years later. And with three excellent albums in three years, I'm looking forward to another Astral Door opening next year. I'll walk through it blindly!

Highly recommended for fans of: Dio, Rainbow, Accept, Tad Morose, Mob Rules, Cage, Jorn Lande, Icarus Witch, Wolf, and Overlorde.

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, powerful and timeless heavy metal, June 14, 2011

By 

Nikiforos V. Skoumas (Athens Greece, Cambridge UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Astralism (Audio CD)

"Astralism" is the third album by Swedish heavy metal band "Astral Doors" originally released in 2006. Those familiar with the works of the group would probably agree that "Astral Doors" play classic heavy metal often referencing acts like "Dio" and 70s "Scorpions" while placing equal emphasis on song-writing and performance. The line up features vocal titan Nils Patrik Johansson, guitarists Martin Haglund and Joachim Nordlund, bassist Mika Itaranta, key player Joakim Roberg and drummer Johan Lindstedt.

In terms of song-writing it seems that the band put the best of their ability in composing classic sounding riffs, infectious melodies and above all, unforgettable choruses. Parts of the compositions trace in the 80s while others in the 70s, all supported by robust production, making "Astralism" an intimidating heavy metal experience.

In terms of performance, "Astral doors" separate themselves form the majority of metal bands by adding as many improvisations, instrumental fills and melodies as possible. Essentially imagine a band that delivers the intensity of a live performance in their albums while being technically flawless as studio standards demand. "Astralism" is absolutely verifies the thesis above and songs like "Black Rain", "Raiders of the Ark", "In rock we trust" and "London caves" are guaranteed to captivate the listener upon first play (or more accurately upon first chorus).

5.0 out of 5 stars Dio-esk? Yes, but..., June 26, 2009

By 

Thomas Anderson "Metal Head" (Harrisburg, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Astralism (Audio CD)

I'm going to go out on a limb here with Astral Doors' fans. I'm detecting a little bit of another metal vocalist in the singing here. And that's Hansi Kürsch of Blind Guardian. I'm sure that if you're objective enough, (I was about to say open-minded, but that's usually translation for "see it my way, or else"), and you're familiar with Blind Guardian/Demons & Wizards, you'll hear the similarities between Nils Patrik Johansson and Hansi Kürsch.

That said, as a band as a whole, from the samples I've heard, they're a pretty good old school power metal band. The Dio/Kürsch style vocals just make it all that much more enjoyable. I'll probably be buying Astral's catalogue here shortly. Found another great band to add to my collection via YouTube, actually.