Wade Black's Astronomica - The Awakening (2024)

Debut album for Astronomica and before we proceed, let’s remember who Wade Black is. He was the vocalist of Crimson Glory for the same named Astronomica album first and foremost. Other appearances include Seven Witches’ Xiled to Infinity and Beyond, as well as Leatherwolf’s World Asylum. Based on that it is clear that the music of Awakening will also fall in the US Power Metal category.

Before jumping into what counts – the music – I have to comment on the obvious similarities between this band and Wade’s history with Crimson Glory. If it was limited to their name we would bypass this. But the whole space and pyramid/egyptian stuff in the artworks is a clear throwback to CG. This is something that makes me more conservative as it is clearly used to cash in on nostalgia and is rarely a good sign.

On to the album now, it is good but it does not surprise. All songs are on the same level and if you like what has already been released as singles, then you will also like The Awakening in its entirety. At the same time this translates to the fact that the album lacks any hit songs that will instantly blow you away.

What I really liked was the drums that apart from well played, also sounded great thanks to the production of the album. The same goes for the guitars with their heavy riffing and soloing. As for Wade himself he can still hit those high notes and his voice sounds good. Not to the levels he used to 20 years ago, which is of course expected and respected. He does not make the jump of elevating the songs with his performance, it isn’t a prerequisite to enjoy an album either.

To be precise though, perhaps the album needed something to elevate the final result. All parts are individually good but overall I cannot say I was taken by the storm. Is it that the record does not compete for its originality? Is it that it lacks some spicy moments that will make things stand out and demand more re-listens? Perhaps both.

If you are a fan of the genre they serve, then you will most probably enjoy The Awakening. If it was released during a time that the music landscape was more barren, again it would be a great company. The thing is that ultimately it will struggle to compete with this year’s best moments. Perhaps I am too strict considering we are talking about a debut, but at the same time it was crafted by very experienced musicians so expectations were higher. It also tries to invoke Crimson Glory’s past and that is one more reason to be more critical. Summing, if we are to detach Astronomica from the past we will need something grander from them in the future.