Omega is the twelfth studio album by British progressive rock band Asia, released in Europe on 23 April 2010 by Frontiers Records. It is the second to feature all four original members (Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton) after the reunion in 2006.
"Finger on the Trigger" was previously recorded by Wetton and Downes's side band Icon for their second studio album.
John Wetton explained the album title: "The title 'Omega', as any fan of the band will tell you, is 'very Asia' (as is the album, by the way). It no more means 'final' than 'Alpha' means 'the first' (which it wasn't). It's a great sounding/looking word, and a bookend to 'Alpha'. In many ways, musically and conceptually, the two albums share commonality".[3]
As with many of Asia's releases, the cover artwork was created by Roger Dean. The white tiger on the front cover indicates that 2010 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar. The tiger face also resembles the emblem of a former publishing company named Paper Tiger Books in which Roger Dean was involved in the 1970s.
Omega was named as the seventh-best album of 2010 by Classic Rock Presents... Prog magazine.
Tracklist:
00:00 - Finger on the Trigger
04:29 - Through My Veins
09:38 - Holy War
15:37 - Ever Yours
19:41 - Listen, Children
25:38 - End of the World
31:17 - Light the Way
36:27 - Emily (Bonus Track)
41:39 - I'm Still the Same
46:32 - There Was a Time
52:20 - Drop a Stone (Bonus Track)
57:29 - I Believe
01:02:11 - Don't Wanna Lose You Now
Lineup:
John Wetton – lead vocals and bass guitar
Steve Howe – electric, acoustic and steel guitars
Geoff Downes – keyboards
Carl Palmer – drums and percussion
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