After a four-year hiatus Norwegian prog rockers Airbag “return” with an awesome album. On A Day At The Beach the sound of Airbag has slightly changed as Bjorn Riis and Co. have “discovered” the eighties which is clearly audible for instance in the opening track Machines And Men, featuring lots of electronic tempos, synthesizers galore and an extremely gripping melody. However, what has always made Airbag an outstanding band was the fact that Riis played some mean awesome guitar and luckily that has not changed on their fifth studio album. His David Gilmour-like guitar solos in tracks like Megalomaniac or Into The Unknown are again superb and they give me goose bumps every time I listen to them at maximum volume on my headset; truly amazing stuff!! Clear musical influences from bands like Pink Floyd and Steven Wilson can be noticed still, but I also hear “new” musical directions based on the sound of bands like Riverside, The Pineapple Thief and the “new” Anathema. Airbag again delivers the goods as A Day At The Beach is a wonderful, melodic prog rock album and to me it is really addictive as I listen to it almost every day! Highly recommended, especially suitable for listening enjoyment on your headphones! A must have prog rock album of 2020!! ***** Martien Koolen (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
