XXX (2012)
1. Tomorrow the World
2. Bury Me in Willow
3. No Religion
4. Faithful
5. I Know How You Feel
6. Face on the Bridge
7. Al Gatto Nero
8. Judas
9. Ghost of a Chance
Released in 2012, XXX (pronounced “Thirty”) marked the 30th anniversary of Asia’s formation. The title, while accurate in its Roman numeral styling, also inadvertently sets up expectations of significance—expectations the album seldom lives up to. It arrives following a brief but surprisingly fruitful period for the band, which, having reunited in its original configuration in 2006, delivered two commendable studio albums: Phoenix and Omega. With XXX, however, the spark appears to have dimmed, the reunion engine running not on inspiration, but obligation.
From the opening bars, the prevailing tone is fatigue. While the personnel remains correct—John Wetton on vocals and bass, Steve Howe on guitar, Geoff Downes on keyboards, and Carl Palmer on drums—the collective output lacks the vitality and precision that once defined their sound. The album is, unmistakably, Asia, but only in name and instrumentation. What’s missing is the grandeur: the sweeping arrangements, the high-gloss production, the sense of scale that made their early work feel arena-sized even in modest settings.
Part of the disappointment stems from the album’s lifeless production. Asia’s best work has always sounded expansive, often amplified by the iconic cover art of Roger Dean, whose fantastical visuals promised music that was equally majestic. Here, the sonic sheen is dulled, and the instrumentation—though technically present—is flat, restrained, and curiously inert. One searches in vain for the towering choruses and intricate interplay that once elevated the band above the level of supergroup novelty.
The songwriting fares no better. While Wetton and Downes continue their longstanding writing partnership, the resulting material feels pedestrian. No Religion, one of the album’s more structured and assertive efforts, is marred by its excessive runtime—stretched far beyond its natural arc. Many of the tracks suffer similarly: ideas are introduced but never developed, repeated to diminishing effect, and left to fade without impact. The average track length hovers well beyond what the material can justify, and rather than epic, the effect is exhausting.
It is not without its minor moments. The penultimate track, Ghost of a Chance, offers a subdued, almost adult-contemporary charm—melancholic, modestly melodic, and mercifully underplayed. Yet its placement at the album’s end ensures that many listeners may never reach it, having long since disengaged.
XXX also holds the distinction of being Steve Howe’s final studio outing with Asia. His departure, along with his concurrent full-time return to Yes, suggests that his focus had shifted. Whether that played a role in the album’s inertia is speculation, but the end result speaks plainly. Howe’s playing here is competent, but seldom compelling—a shadow of his former self within the Asia framework.
In sum, XXX is less a celebration than a quiet capitulation. It commemorates a milestone but offers little to commemorate musically. That Asia managed a full decade of renewed activity with the original lineup is impressive in itself, but this album closes that chapter not with a bang, but with a shrug.
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