Alithia calls their style of music “Astral Space Core,” which is slightly misleading. While they do have some elements of space rock, they're not “core”...thankfully. One might think it was some sort of metalcore or deathcore hybrid but, in fact, there is nothing metal about Alithia. The music on their new album, “To The Edge of Time,” is '70s-based progressive rock with some modern aesthetics. The best comparison I could make would be the American prog band Astra. Astra sounds like they recorded back in 1974, while Alithia’s keyboard heavy style is more current.
As prog rock goes, the band focuses more on atmosphere than the number of notes played. There is a very positive, uplifting vibe to every track on the album, but the songs have a bit of a sameness to them -- nothing really “jumps out” at the listener. The only thing that did jump out at me, unfortunately, was the use of a NYC rapper for some “spoken word” on two tracks. I could ignore it once, but the second time it was a problem. I am not a fan of rap or hip-hop and, while I wouldn’t entirely call these two moments “rapping,” they are quite rhythmic and really unnecessary to the songs.
Overall, “To The Edge of Time” is a pleasant listen but there aren’t enough big moments (if any) to merit repeat listens for me. There are far too many progressive rock bands out there (such as the aforementioned Astra) that do this sort of brand of prog much better than Alithia. Plus they have so many “special guests” on the album (besides the rapper) that I really have no idea who is playing or singing what. I do like the "Astral Space Core" mission statement. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to make this a great album.
