Ad Asteris

Ad Asteris frontman Gary Howe has been involved in the Dublin music scene for the best part of 15 years, in some way, shape or form. Actually, i myself played in my first band with Gary, so from firsthand experience i can say that once the guy has his head in the game, good things usually happen.

Opener “Flow” kicks out the jams similar to gruff 90s semi-grunge legends Filter, which is never a bad thing. Being a 90s kid himself (and no, if you were born in 97-98 that DOESN’T make you a 90s kid, dork) he witnessed these bands as they happened, so it makes the (w)hole affair more genuine. There’s nothing more pitiful than when a decade comes back into vogue and is ruined by spotty teens with not the slightest clue as to what made that chapter in musical history REALLY matter, but it’s safe to say that Howe and Co are right on the money. “Not feeling so great” ventures into almost Supergrass style downbeat pop, rhythm section bouncing the song on its knee with solidity and purpose. At this stage in the game, the band delves into its influences and pulls a Fudge Tunnel cover out of the bag, “Don’t have time for you” isn’t just an obscure cover to give the band a modicum of underground credibility, this motherfucker LOVES Alex Newport and always has, so it may surprise you, but me? I’m unfazed and impressed. “Unnatural minor landscape” rounds the EP off in style, returning full circle to the sludgy aggro rock that, in my opinion, is Ad Asteris at its best.

Doing reviews of bands that have personal ties to me are never easy, but it makes it WAY easier when they rock as hard as this. Expect to see em at a CYOF live showcase soon. - CYOF (Paul Kavanagh)

The Mercurial Fountain

One of my colleagues recently remarked that he likes musicians who 'know what they're trying to be'. I'm not totally sure I agree (some of my favourite bands are also the hardest to define, in terms of genre or influence), but I can appreciate that there's something to be said for acts who embrace, rather then hide from, the clichés inherent in their style. And this seems to have been the case with Ad Asteris, who cite Pink Floyd as their biggest influence, take their name from a cult movie (The Man Who Fell To Earth), and have a touring video projection artist.

Happily, Ad Asteris' take on what you must by now have surmised is prog rock is rather more modern than the above might lead you to expect, and it is also rather good. There's less self‑indulgence than you get from many exponents of the genre (only one track on the album breaks the 10‑minute barrier; most are significantly shorter), and despite the obvious prog influences it even manages, at times, to be catchy. It's as if they've taken the rock template and made it proggy, rather than the other way around, and the result is that it is both anthemic and engaging, even in its more languid moments. - Sound On Sound Magazine (Chris Korff)