Album Review: God Is An Astronaut – The Beginning Of The End (Napalm Records)

Post-rock masters God Is an Astronaut transform their superb debut after 20 years, live in studio! The Beginning of The End, recorded live at Windmill Lane Recording Studio in Dublin, Ireland on October 3, 2021, the album features modern transformations of all of the songs from their debut album, 2002’s The End of The Beginning. It will be released on July 15th, 2022 via Napalm Records.

Way more than just fan service, The Beginning of The End serves several purposes. The first being a snapshot of how far the band has come from a musical ability perspective. The second being a way to potentially reach a new audience and the third being a fresh way for long-term fans to hear songs they will likely know extremely well.

So, if you’re hearing this band for the first time, what can you expect? Morose melodies, powerful post rock energy, enigmatic effects that gives everything a sci-fi edge and delightful outbursts of heaviness. God Is an Astronaut do a thrilling job of transporting the mind to different places and their creativity makes for a varied experience. Even back then, 20 years ago, they were more than capable of this.

As for those returning to the album, God Is an Astronaut breathe new life in songs that are considered classics. Songs that make regular appearances in their stage shows, which does make the live aspect of this album even more fitting.

Songs like ‘From the Dust to the Beyond’ and ‘Route 666’ not just freshened up but given new life thanks to modern advances in technology and God Is an Astronaut’s progressive talents. If that wasn’t enough, a lot of these tracks also get variations that appear in their stage shows applied to the song. That there, is something quite unique with a re-release.

It’s no surprise though that God Is an Astronaut have gone to this much effort to make The Beginning of The End a complimentary album to The End of The Beginning. This isn’t meant to replace the debut, it couldn’t, it’s meant to sit alongside it and stand as a comparative for how far God Is an Astronaut have come.

God Is an Astronaut – The Beginning of The End Full Track Listing:

1. The End of The Beginning (Live)
2. From Dust to The Beyond (Live)
3. Ascend to Oblivion (Live)
4. Coda (Live)
5. Remembrance (Live)
6. Point Pleasant (Live)
7. Fall from The Stars (Live)
8. Twilight (Live)
9. Coma (Live)
10. Route 666 (Live)
11. Lost Symphony (Live)

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