Asia - Asia / Armed to the Teeth CD. Reissue of two rare U.S. progressive hard rock private press albums from 1978 and 1980. Progressive hard rock with dual guitars and mellotron. With huge booklet with liner notes, photos and lyrics. (m-/m-, new unplayed)

Out of Rapid City in South Dakota, from the ashes of the defunct band Whitewing (one very rare album much desired in Prog collectors circles), came ASIA, which recorded two independently released albums in 1979 and 1980 respectively. The band gained some momentum for a while, opening for major acts like Nazareth, Ted Nugent, Kiss, Molly Hatchet, etc. Unfortunately, the demise of Asia came with the deluge of legal battles for the name with British Pop-AOR Asia. The band legacy these days relies mostly on their cult masterpiece "Armed to the Teeth", released in 1980. An album that predates the Epic Progressive Metal genre later pursued by bands like Warlord and Dark Quarterer, but also pleases any Pomp/AOR/Prog Rock fan. 

The only Asia CD release dates back from 1995 on the Wild Places label, but since the CD edition is very sought after now, we decided to team up with band leader Mike Coates and repackage again the two albums on one CD, but this time with an even bigger booklet of 32 pages, where the full band history is presented, as well as the projects pre and post Asia, rare pictures and the lyrics to both albums. 

"Early 1970s-influenced progressive guitar and mellotron rock in a Deep Purple/Captain Beyond-school from a band formerly known as White Wing; no relation to the more famous Asia, naturally." (Acid Archives)

File under: Epic Heavy Rock, Pomp Rock, Progressive Hard Rock. 

For fans of Rush, Styx, Uriah Heep, Captain Beyond and Warlord (U.S.). 

Track Listing:

1. Thunder Rider
2. Xanadu
3. Kamikaze
4. Paladin
5. Genghis Khan
6. The Bard
7. Love May Be Gone
8. A Better Man for Leavin
9. The Taming of the Bull
10. The Road of Kings
11. Law of the Land
12. Requiem