Search - Asia :: Archiva 2

Enjoyable previously unreleased material.

sauerkraut | 10/05/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I've always enjoyed having and listening to Archiva Vol. 2 from Asia. This disc consists of previously unreleased material from the period that John Payne (vocals/bass) has been with Asia. I actually find Archiva Vol. 2 to be just as good as Asia's regular albums. There's a total of twelve tracks, and all of them are good and have something to offer. John Payne does a good job with the vocal duties. The musicianship, songwriting, and production are tight and satisfying. The material also happens to be varied. There are two very cool instrumentals that are included--"The Smoke That Thunders" and "Armenia." "The Smoke That Thunders" sports catchy keyboard playing and a good beat. Also, there are a handful of tunes that sound somewhat different for Asia ("Showdown," "Satellite Blues," and "Love like the Video"). These three songs sport more of a raw rock approach--they are good songs that are in a similar direction to the tune "Back in Town" from the Aqua album. "Showdown" is a song originally performed by ELO. My favorite tracks are "Moon under the Water," "Armenia," and "Don't Come to Me." "Moon under the Water" is a nice ballad with encompassing and skilled keyboard playing from Geoff Downes. "Armenia" is also a really good instrumental with great keyboard playing--I can only describe it as enigmatic and mysterious (also features some nice guitar playing). "Don't Come to Me" is another good one that's a power ballad. "Obsession" and "The Higher You Climb" are straight-ahead pop rock songs, and "That Season," "Can't Tell These Walls," and "Right to Cry" are tracks in a mellow direction. The CD booklet includes the song lyrics along with comments about each track. I'm surprised that some of the tracks on this disc weren't included on the regular albums. It's cool that Asia decided to put out these previously unreleased songs. Anybody that's an Asia fan and doesn't have this disc should get it. The album cover is pretty interesting, too. Archiva Vol. 2 is enjoyable and worth a listen."