Welcome to the Astral Travellers website.
NEWS
03-04-10:
The Rock Temple in Kerkrade has put some pictures online of the show we did there on march 13th. Click here to see them.
08-03-10:
Just confirmed, on 13 november 2010 we will be playing in The Rambler. A prog night with Leap Day and PBII.
Stationsplein 12 Eindhoven.
24-02-10:
Another gig confirmed, on 24 april 2010 we will be playing a night of prog together with Leap Day in De Pompstee in Roden.
06-02-10:
Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck, the founder of MuzikReviews.com made the review of Abbey K. Davis of our album his pick of the week on the iberkshires.com webzine. Thank you Keith!
Check it out:
Pick of the week
19-01-10:
Abbey K. Davis from MuzicReviews.com made a review of our album that blew us away, we are very gratefull!!!. Thank you Abbey and also Keith, the founder of MusicReviews who noticed us. It is posted on differend websites:
-MusicReviews website
-Prog Music Talk website
25-12-09:
We will be opening for PBII at their cd presentation for the south of Holland. It's on march 13 2010 in The Rock Temple in Kerkrade. We are proud to be opening for these dutch prog legends. Check out their website by clicking on the logo:
22-12-09:
We got a nice review (5 out of 7 stars) on the Progressor: Uzbekistan Progressive Rock Pages
Thank you Olav M Bjornsen for the review and support.
Click the image to read it:
20-12-09:
Some more buzz on the web:
A nice review on the Babequ World Press blog. Plus we are in Jan Diddens top 10 of 2009! Thank you Jan.
If you can read spanish, this is a review from Mexico on the Manticornio site.
Click the image to read it:
19-12-09:
We are listed in the dutch 'Festival Info' album top 200. Nothing wrong being on number 185 :).
Click the image to see the list:
30-11-09:
Check this out:
Dear Astral Travellers,
We are proud of inform you that your record "The Truth Beyond" has been nominated, for the fourth edition of ProgAwards, in the following categories:
-Best Debut Record
The Progawards President, Fabrizio Catalano.
This is great news for us. This edition of the Italian based ProgAwards will run untill march 2010 so we will have to be patient for the results. Fabrizio, many thanks for your support.
29-11-09:
For the German prog lovers: our album is now online available on the just for kicks music webstore.
Click the logo to go to this online music store:
18-11-09:
Next friday 20 november. Liva at Heksenketel, Roosendaal!
Check it out:
24-10-09:
We have been added to the mail order of secret port records in Greece.
Check it out:
24-08-09:
Next sunday, august 30, we will get some airtime on Progressive x Grooves. This is an internet radio program playing groovy underground tracks and progressive rock and metal. Pieter V is hosting the show every sunday from 20.00 till 22.00 hours on ROSA FM. We are invited to join the broadcast together with the dutch progressive icons Arjan Lucassen (Ayreon) and the band Kayak and maybe more...
Click on RosaFM to listen!
18-08-09:
We have done an interview on the Behind the Veil Webzine. It is online now! Thank you Nikos.
Read the interview by clicking on the Behind The Veil logo:
14-08-09:
The album has been reviewed in Aardschok magazine. This is the dutch rock and metal magazine. Click the logo to read the scan of the article:
06-08-09:
The album got a really good review from Jan Didden at the dutch Festival Info website. Thank you Jan. Click the logo:
05-08-09:
Our Russian friend ProgHead has posted a review on the Progbase.com. Click the logo to read it:
03-08-09:
The album has been reviewed on the Digital Steel webzine. Thank you ProgRalph for listening and reviewing. Click the logo to read it:
30-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the US based Music Street Journal webzine. Thank you Tim Jones for the great review. We are very happy with it! Click the logo to read it:
28-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the German Powermetal.de webzine. We score 8,5 out of 10. Thank you Walter Schreuder for the review. Click the logo to read it:
26-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed in the IO Pages. This is a (the) Dutch progressive magazine. We are very pleased with this review. Thank you Martinka! Click the logo to read it:
18-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on th German Heavyhardes website. Its a website on Heavy Metal for Bayern and the rest of the world. Thank you Jan for the review. Click the logo:
13-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the Flight of Pegasus website from Greece. This is also a Full Metal Radio station. We have been told that the album has gotten e-play on their station. Thank you very much for the support! The review is in Greek, if you want the translation then send us an e-mail. Click the logo:
07-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the German MuzikZirkus webzine. Click here and browse to the cd reviews.
04-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the Music From NL website. Thank you guys!
Click the logo:
01-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the Lords of Metal webzine. This is a dutch based metal webzine. Wim reviewed the album and stopped by in Eindhoven to do an interview with Gerben and Jochem. Now it is online! Thank you Wim, it was a good experience and great fun to do! Click to read:
-the album review-
-the interview
01-07-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the Metal Observer by Frodi. They are a global metal webzine. Thanks for the review. Click the logo:
25-06-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on Ragazzi, a German website. They call themselves "a website fur erregende musik". Thank you guys from Ragazzi! Check it out by cicking on the logo:
23-06-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been reviewed on the Behind The Veil metal webzine. Their goal is to provide the metal listener with everything he needs to know about underground and mainstream metal! We got a score of 8 out of 10 from Nick "Verkaim" Parastidis. Nick, thank you for your review.
Read the full review by clicking on the Behind The Veil logo:
14-06-09:
The Astral Travellers album has been added to the playlist of Progulus radio. Progulus radio is a US based Live 365 station that plays progressive based music and is a nonprofit organisation.
Support us and request us by clicking on the Progulus logo:
06-06-09:
On 10 july 2009 we will play in The Rambler with the band Nem-Q.
Location: Stationsplein 12 Eindhoven.
Starts at 21.30 hours. Free entrance.
26-04-09:
It is here! Our album The Truth Beyond!! If you want to own a copy, send a message to contact@astraltravellers.nl.
13-04-09:
Our debut album THE TRUTH BEYOND is currently at the presses!
We expect it to arrive in a few weeks. In the meanwhile you can listen to the complete album on
"A Prog delicacy from The Netherlands, with influences from almost 40 years of music history"
-Walter Scheurer, Powermetal.de
"This album is that good, that a deal with a nice label goes without saying. Fans of good progrock do not need to hesitate and get their hands on this fantastic masterpiece"
-Jan Didden, Podiuminfo.nl
"The atmospheric magnitude of these two tracks are monumental to these ears and the songwriting reeks of class from beginning to end"
-Tim Jones, Musicstreetjournal.com
These are just a few comments "The truth Beyond", Astral Travellers debut album got in the press.
The Journey
It has taken them ten years of hard work, of cultivating their musical heritage of their upbringing and honing their technical skills to come to the point a choice had to be made:
"Are we going for a quick win or do we really want to make a musical statement and find out how the outside world sees it all?"
The Astral Travellers grew up in the South of the Netherlands in the midst of the metal and glam rock of the eighties, and in the afterglow of the classic rock of the seventies. Real performers emerge young , so the different members of the band started taking lessons at a juvenile age. Word goes that the singer´s church choir grew tired of his Robert Plant impersonation and kicked him out, although this has never been officially confirmed. The Astrals started joining different bands at the age of twelve, and most of them hooked up in early 1997 in the rock formation The Lower Lifeforms, which gave them local fame. After regrouping in 2000 in the band Oker the chemistry was complete, and the group has not changed since.
After years of composing and performing the sentiment grew to no longer hold back, to make no concessions and to go all the way. All the way back to the source of rock, metal and progressive, influenced by their idols of today like Dream Theater, Tool, Metallica and Porcupine Tree and the big masters of before like Deep Purple, Yes and Genesis. This resulted in no ´verse-chorus-verse-chorus´-tunes but longer songs with an organic composition, symphonic synths and experimental rhythms. All this accompanied by the classic lyrical prog-themes about fiction, fantasy, war and love. With this new chosen path, a new and final band name is chosen: Astral Travellers.
In the apex of the no-compromise attitude they decided to record their latest album totally by themselves, which took them the larger part of 2008. The result is the 48 minutes, 5 song record ´The Truth Beyond´.., that they will promote during the 2009 Truth Beyond Tour.
The band´s discography:
1997 - Scratching the Surface (Lower Lifeforms)
1999 - Jezebell´s Kiss (Lower Lifeforms)
2002 - Oker (Oker)
2004 - Transdimensional (Oker)
2009 - The Truth Beyond (Astral Travellers)
The Travellers
The Astral Travellers are:
Gerben van Oosterhout Vocals
Jochem Brok Keys
Tristan de Rijk Drums
Barry Veeke Guitars
Maarten Vermeulen Bass
Gerben and Jochem are from Eindhoven, the other members live in Roosendaal. Every member has lots of experience playing his instrument, and has played in multiple bands, from indie-pop to metal.
The Astral Experience
The Astrals have plenty of stage experience. The band has performed regularly in the Brabant region (The Netherlands); in bars and small clubs like Altstadt in Eindhoven but also in well known venues like 013 in Tilburg, Odeon in Veldhoven, Mezz in Breda and on festivals like Atlantis in Roosendaal and Poptocht in Bergen op Zoom. The band was also selected to perform at various talent contests like Wraak van Brabant, Kaaipopprijs Roosendaal, Eindhovense popprijs and Veldhovense popprijs.
13-november-2010 in The Rambler. A prog night with Leap Day and PBII..
Stationsplein 12 Eindhoven.
24 april 2010. Together with Leap Day in De Pompstee in Roden. Starts 20.00 hours. Entrance 10 euro (door), pre-sale 8,50 euro.
3 april 2010 Zwaanfest in hotel cafe de zwaan in Kapelle.
13 march 2010 The Rock Temple. Plein 13 Kerkrade. Opening for PBII.
20 november 2009 in De heksenketel molenstraat 60 in Roosendaal.
10 juli 2009 in The Rambler with Nem-Q.
Stationsplein 12 Eindhoven.
Starts 21.30. Free entrance.
Printed press:
- IO Pages.
- Aardschok.
Webzines:
- Behind the Veil.
- Digital Steel.
- Festival Info.
- Flight of Pegasus.
- HeavyHardes.de.
- Lords of Metal.
- The Metal Observer.
- Music From NL.
- Music Street Journal.
- Musik Zirkus.
- Powermetal.de.
- Progbase.
- Ragazzi.
- Behind the Veil webzine.
- Lords of Metal webzine.
Press Kit:
- bio english (PDF).
- bio dutch (PDF).
- band photo (JPEG 2.2 mb).
- cd cover (JPEG 192 kb).
