I can just imagine the opening of a concert if "Crimson Glory" goes on the road to support "Astronomica." The lights go down, and the hypnotic strains of "March To Glory" are heard over the speakers. The band members take their places while the song nears its end, and as the words "The flag of freedom are now flying all over Europe" are heard, the lights flare up just in time to catch Wade Black SCREAM "War of the Worlds."

It's been seven years since "Crimson Glory" made their ill-fated jump to major label status and released the horribly disappointing "Strange And Beautiful." During the hiatus, the band's members tried their hands at various other projects, until late in 1996 founding members Jon Drenning and Jeff Lords thought the time was right to resurrect the "Crimson Glory" name.

About the same time I heard the band responsible for one of my all-time favorite albums ("Transcendence") was releasing another disc, I also learned that their incomparable original vocalist, Midnight, wouldn't be part of the reunion. As it turns out, the worries were unfounded. Wade Black does a good job filling Midnight's shoes. Ranging from Ripper Owens-like screams to intense lower register work, he turns in a performance more versatile than Midnight could have done.

Musically, too, any worries that "Crimson Glory" would release another "Strange And Beautiful," or overdo the retro thing and give us a horribly dated '80s style album were also laid to rest. "Astronomica" sounds like an end-of-the-millennium power metal effort rather than a retread from the past.

That said, this album (thankfully!) follows in the footsteps of the band's first two albums much more than "Strange And Beautiful." Turning its back on the attempt to become a mainstream rock band, as opposed to the power metal outfit they are, "Crimson Glory" unleashed their instruments on this album. Despite an abundance of solid songs, the single best thing about "Astronomica" just might be Jon Drenning's production, and the biggest beneficiary of that stellar work is bassist Jeff Lords. After being pretty much buried in the mix on previous "Crimson Glory" discs (I'd never really noticed his work before), Lords was let into the spotlight, and does he ever shine throughout the disc.

Although the run of top-notch starts early, it wasn't until I first heard the 4th and title track, "Astronomica," that I was sold on this album being a true "Crimson Glory" product. I think it was the Arabic/ethnic-sounding intro, followed by the twin guitar hallmarks of the band that really sold me on "Astronomica" right from that first listen.

The best songs on the disc are "Touch The Sun" and "Edge of Forever." The latter is a ballad that would not have sounded out of place on "Transcendence." Even though it turns down the speed and power that marks most of the songs on "Astronomica," it loses nothing in the way of drama, as the verses continuously build-up toward musically simple, but emotionally intense, choruses. Later on, "The Other Side of Midnight" presents itself as a sequel of sorts to "Lost Reflection" from the first album, what with the shared storyline about a prisoner locked away in the attic. Because of the name of the song, you have to wonder if they're taking a shot at their old vocalist, even though by all reports the decision not to use Midnight was mutual.

The end of "The Other Side Of Midnight" immediately gives way to the technothrob intro of "Cyberchrist," another song fitting the machines taking over the world theme. This one has the most crunch of any tune on "Astronomica," with Lords' distorted bass lending a jagged edge that contrasts nicely with the clean guitars, and Black's voice fading in and out from behind a computerized filter. The alternate deity theme is highlighted by a great touch at the end, in the form of a quote from the "Hellraiser" movie series, "Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks?"

I couldn't answer that question, but if someone were to ask me whether "Astronomica" was worth picking up, the answer would be an emphatic "YES!"