Astronaut Down

Astronaut Down is a new New York based five piece band that released her concept debut CD entitled God’s Eye in 2006. According to the liner notes in the information sheet “the music of Astronaut Down strives to achieve a balance between the depth and complexity of progressive metal, and the accessible energy of mainstream rock. Intricate polyrhythms and ambitious song structures coexist with memorable melodies and subtly-evolving thematic progressions, all delivered with conviction and unmistakable vitality. Their influences range from old school progressive rock to contemporary technical metal, from melodic punk to post-hardcore. Astronaut Down plays new progressive rock, focusing on the composition, with a dynamic range of material that appeals to a wide range of listeners. The key is balance, whether carefully unfolding an elaborate instrumental passage, or delivering an anthemic chorus”. Well, that sounds pretty inviting, to say the least!
- During my first listening sessions I quickly notice a huge dynamic in the ten tracks (running time around 55 minutes), Astronaut Down easily and frequently shifts from dreamy with warm vocals and twanging guitars to heavy metal and prog metal with blistering guitars and thunderous drums, some songs even contain grungy vocals (like Colossus and Our Greatest Mistake). At some moments the music reminds me of Swedish progrock formation Anekdoten (but without Mellotrons) during the more compelling parts (like in Starfall). And the composition Dissection evokes King Crimson due to the repetetive guitar work. Although the emphasis in Astronaut Down their music is on a more heavy and bombastic sound, we can enjoy some wonderful mellow interludes: an atmospheric final part in Interlude, a warm conclusion featuring duo acoustic guitar and pleasant vocals in Our Greatest Mistake and a dreamy climate with sensitive piano, vocals and acoustic guitar and a fragile guitar solo in de final track Moths (Part 2).
- I have to say that I am not up to the more aggressive parts of Astronuat Down their music but I am impressed the way they have found a balance between mellow and heavy music. Personally I would add keyboards in order to colour the music a bit more but that is very subjective, I am from the Old Progrock School and a vintage keyboard freak. Nonetheless, if you are a proghead who likes “hard and heavy with a mellow touch”, this is an album to check out. - ProgWalhalla

Astronaut Down has just released their sophomore album, showing some evolution in terms of consistency and delivery when compared with their (already good) first album, while it also shows less of those slight jazzier tendencies. The band is creating a sound that, despite sharing common characteristics with many other bands from different genres, does have its very own personality and provides a perfect combination between the aesthetics of progressive rock/melodic prog metal and those of the current mainstream rock with heavy leanings.

Moths to the Flame show us a band in full control of their capacities, and playing safely while still reserving some space for experimentation. It seems obvious that they are just adventurous enough, without diving too much into the unknown but preferring to explore in a consistent and powerful way the space that normally divides the mainstream rock and the always more complex and challenging progressive metal.
Therefore it is not that hard to pin-point this band’s musicality, though it is scattered all over various genres. The power of their musicality is more relying in their mix of grunge, hard rock and mainstream rock with even some nu-metal nuances; and then there is that conscientious will to turn things a bit more complex with polyrhythm’s and constant changes. The guitar work is essential in these shifts, as well as the way each part is differently sung. Guitars can soar in anger or linger in fingering melodies. And they shift from one approach to another in a glimpse, without ever loosing quality or consistency. Nothing really sounds forced as the changes in direction and the shifts in levels of aggression are strangely done in a blink but also in a smoothly way, which is something hard to achieve but that this band is perfectly able to achieve.
For instance, Dissection shows a glimpse of the more elaborated structures of this band, with a stellar performance in the bass playing. While Back to Rock edges things a bit with that initial pure metallic riff that is interlude by more rock oriented sung parts and then some more proggish instrumental parts. Good construction; airy and dynamic like we like and combining to perfection the various angular approaches of this band. Running Down on its hand, displays the whole array of approaches, as the band is able to consistently combine the different lines of work into a solid piece of work that sounds almost natural despite its complexity.

The singing is very eclectic. In the calmer parts there is a feel that the singing is close to what we usually find in the post-rock venues (like in the start of Light), but there is a focus on the crossover to the tones and tendencies commonly used in the already mentioned mainstream heavy rock and the, let’s admit it, the wide array of tones, level of aggression and mood characterization.

To summarize things up, this is a release that may be of interest for various fringes of contemporary rock. The more mainstream rock fans of such bands as Shinedown, Stone Temple Pilots or even early Tomahawk, Bush and Foo Fighters will appreciate the power of this music, as the fans of more progressive metal tendencies in the vein of AtmOsfear, Prymary or Echoes will enjoy the proposed complex arrangements and changes in mood and aggression, components that assemble the progressive side of Astronaut Down music.
This is a full experience album that shows a band taking the right steps in the right direction. A band that has the power, the drive and the ability to achieve a masterful bridge between the progressive rock/metal, the melodic hard rock, the grunge and the mainstream rock, with some hints of alternative too. An explosive mix that the band is, as it becomes quite obvious, able to master. - ProGGnosis

For many bands there is a tension between the hard and the soft or the aggressive and the passive and finding that balance becomes a delicate art form in itself. This is especially true these days in the world of progressive rock which is many times over-shadowed by one of its sub-genres, namely prog-metal. Astronaut Down are one of those bands walking that fine line and even though they tend to lean a little more to the heavy side there is much to recommend with their second release Moths to the Flame.Astronaut Down is made up of Keith Bowen (vocals), Jeremy Daigle (guitar), Andrew Bortnyk (guitar), Joe Morse (bass) and Phil Lherisson (drums). You’d be correct in guessing that the twin guitars play a big part in the band’s sound, heavy crunch, you bet, and distinctly proggy, absolutely!



Moths to the Flame is made up of ten tracks and everything starts off with the soft and delicate acoustic “Moths Part 1” [1:50] which ends in a tentative spacey tone that goes directly into the twin guitar introduction assault of “Starfall” [7:26] but then after about 30-seconds the sound is pared back to a hard proggy feel, this carries on for some three and a half minutes until everything shifts gears to some Mellotron-ish string-sound-drone which leads directly into a softer bluesy subdued middle section. It doesn’t last very long before we’re back into a guitar onslaught with those beautiful string sounds in the background. You get the idea. Astronaut Down know how to rock of that there is no question but each of these compositions, most of which by the way are on the longish side, the longest being 8:23, have plenty of musical change-ups going on. For example, track three “Dissection” [5:47] which starts off with some very nice softer guitar picking and falsetto vocal introduction before descending into the more aggressive chorus. This is repeated a few times to drive the point home. The musicianship is tight and it needs to be because the number of times these guys start and stop is without question demanding. On top of that they manage to write some very crafty hooks so melody isn’t forgotten in the mix. I’d have to say my favorite track is “Back to Zero” [5:35], I love the distinct hard and soft counterpoint and chunky guitar riffs.



This is Astronaut Down’s second CD, a follow-up to their 2006 release and it’s a winner. If I had to provide a couple sonic reference points imagine the musical dexterity of Dream Theatre mixed with the moodiness of Porcupine Tree and you might get the audio picture. The sounds on Moths to the Flame are distinctly their own and my guess is there are lot’s of people in the prog-metal camp who will love this disc. - The Progressive Rock Files

The progressive release Moths To The Flame is the work of New York City five piece group called Astronaut Down; this is an assorted and compelling CD that will reward those who choose to listen. The songs on Moths To A Flame flow extremely well, as it seems that Astronaut Down know how a good progressive song should be structured, with an impressive balancing act between heavy complexity and softer times. Even though at times the band tends to tilt more to the heavy side of the scales, this is still an appealing album for both the progressive rock and metal fan.

Pressing play and Moths To The Flame is underway with the light-hearted vocals and guitar of track one "Moths (Part 1)". "Starfall" introduce the rest of the band with their intricate progressive rock and some metal sees the light with much more to follow. It's not just their instruments that lay down the heaviness on this album; the vocals also get harder even quite livid in some passages. If Astronaut Down's material gets the attention it deserves then this talented band could be destined for a bright future. Give Moths To The Flame a go and find out if Astronaut Down's musical flame attracts you also.


Track list:
1.Moths (Part 1)
2.Starfall
3.Dissection
4.Back To Zero
5.Light
6.Colossus
7.Running Down
8.Interlude
9.Our Greatest Mistake
10.Moths (Part 2) - Sea of Tranquility