1	Lonesome Cry
2	Take Me With You
3	What You Resist Will Remain
4	Never Let You Go
5	Youtopia
6	Until It Ends
7	Control
8	M.E 2020

Astrakhan

A Slow Ride Towards Death

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Genre: Progressive Rock.
Released: 23/04/2021
Via Melodic Passion Records

Album Review: Astrakhan – A Slow Ride Towards Death

Swedish prog-rockers Astrakhan is back with their third full-length album titled ‘A Slow Ride Towards Death’. This marks the end of a 5-year wait for a taste of new music for fans. The band found a decent amount of success from the release of their 2020 ‘Astrakhan’s Superstar Experience (Live)’ and they will be hoping to continue their momentum with this new release. So without any further interruption, here are my thoughts on Astrakhan’s ‘A Slow Ride Towards Death

The album kicks off with ‘Lonesome Cry’, a melodically driven track that uses the bands unique blend of genres to create an almost visual experience. A similar feeling to the likes of Muse is generated from the instrumental. I’m a big fan of the way Johan Hallgren can alternate play styles on the guitar to change the mood significantly. This isn’t only present during the first track, as it’s a key part in the track ‘Take Me With You’ as well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well during this one. The song feels like a bit of a clunky concoction of musical passages that just dont seem to work well together. The only real saving grace from the track is Alexander Lycke’s vocal performance. 

‘What You Resist Will Remain’ is a better track however it’s just ok. I’m personally not a fan of the sound the synth is generating throughout the song which is unfortunate as it’s present for pretty much all of it. Yet again, the song does have its saving grace in the form of a really impressive percussive performance from Martin Larsson. The use of syncopated accents is a nice touch to the otherwise quite bland track. Thankfully, ‘Never Let You Go’ gets the album back up to the standard set by the opening track. A slightly heavier feel is given off from the track that seems to compliment the bands sound nice. Per Schelander’s bass line adds a nice bounce to the heavier sections that haven’t been present on previous songs and it’s a welcome addition.

Continuing down the album, ‘Youtopia’ is a glistening example of Alexander’s vocal abilities. His performance throughout this track is nothing short of awe-inspiring. From his sullen passages to his more impactful phrases, He nails every note. If he needed a song for his portfolio, this would probably be this best pick. What better way to follow that than with a track that demonstrates the band’s technical ability nicely. ‘Until It Ends’ is a piece of music that could inspire a lot of people to pick up an instrument. The use of simplistic phrases and more technical playing culminates in a track that is just a joy to listen to!

The penultimate track ‘Control’ misses the mark by quite a bit, unfortunately. Nothing about this track makes me want to listen to it again. Also, the way Johan sings this track doesn’t seem to mesh well with the instrumental behind him which leads to quite an unpleasant listening experience. A real shame that is followed by a decent entry in ‘M.E 2020’. The song comes in at 9:42 seconds long and I think that is part of the songs downfall. Although the track has its highs, I can’t help but feel as though the song drags on for longer than it needs to. I  found myself losing interest at around the 7-minute mark every time I listened to it as the consistency just doesn’t hold for the entire duration of the track, unfortunately. 

Astrakhan’s third full-length album is an ok release. A mix of highs and lows leads to a somewhat disappointing release from the band. If your planning on checking the album out for yourself I recommend that you listen to the album in its entirety as the flow of the tracks is probably one of the best things about it.