ADASTRA – The Last Sunset

The foundation of Adastra can be traced back to 2001, then under the moniker of Paralysion. The band jammed mostly on covers, but started conceiving originals, first as Breaker, before settling on Adastra. After various demos and an EP, Eyes Of The Night, The Last Sunset is the band’s first full-length release.

Unlike many fellow countrymen, Finnish Adastra sounds closer to British roots and USA Metal. Specifically, Iron Maiden and Iced Earth, typified in the driven galloping style of the former and the guitar solos where the latter is concerned, as they more often than not function just as much in melodies rather than indulge in the usual fast guitar solo mannerism. Melodies are often prominent and aided as musical themes for the songs in further tradition of the mentioned influences.

Lyrically, Adastra are fairly broad; only two songs into the CD, they have already touched upon a wide array of topics, from apocalyptic themes to sadomasochism sex (maybe that’s not miles apart, who knows?)

Pretty much within first spin of The Last Sunset, it’s clear Adastra are a notch above average counterparts. Often the songs are surprisingly well-crafted, which would hit home even more so with the aid of fuller, dynamic production and more powerful vocals. “This Life,” a semi-ballad of sorts that comes complete with lyrics, steamed in the “believe in yourself” sympathies, is a prime example of the band’s strong potential. “Stood My Ground,” a war tale with it’s galloping stomp and guitar duels, further pays homage to Iron Maiden in that respect.

“Adastra,” the song, is pure old-school, sing-along Metal, whilst “Loving Me To Death,” while offering further catchiness, shows the band’s knack for clever lyrics, using nature scenery to illustrate likeliness to destructive relationship issues. This song makes for another highpoint of the album.

Ending track “The Sun” is a ten-minute plus epic, but is, again, remarkably well-crafted. Where different parts of such a song often seem forced, here they seem intertwined naturally and the song, despite not being made out of too many various expeditions, ends up not feeling as long as it actually is. That’s certainly more than can be said of certain veteran bands attempting “epics.” In other words, forget the creature featured on the sleeve for a second; fans are thankfully not reminded of “Lochness” on this track!

Adastra is like a diamond that’s a bit rough around the edges; they already have the goods to make something great, albeit they come across a tad bit on the “amateur-ish” side of things (they are amateurs, so granted, it’s only natural), they just need to sharpen their various tools in order to make more of an impact. Still, pretty impressive for a virtual newcomer …