Those who may criticize prog-rock vets Asia [ tickets ] for exploiting an oft-used cliche by titling their first new package of original music in a quarter century "Phoenix" apparently haven't spoken to lead singer/bassist and primary songwriter John Wetton, or drummer Carl Palmer.

While the casual assumption might be, 'They wrote a dozen new songs and fell back on a title about a mythical bird that rises from the ashes of former glory,' the entire concept of "Phoenix" is more closely related to the two bandmates surviving individual, life-threatening cardiovascular emergencies.

Speaking to LiveDaily from his hotel room prior to a recent Peekskill, NY, concert--just 48 hours ahead of the world debut of "Phoenix"--Palmer was upbeat about his and Wetton's recovery process.

"We're doing very well indeed, yes," Palmer said. "I've got my new stent, and John's got his new tubes."

The open heart surgery Asia [ tickets ]'s frontman endured in August of 2007, followed by Palmer's angioplasty last February, certainly has both of them approaching their lives and their music from a completely different perspective.

That perspective is well chronicled throughout "Phoenix," and especially on the first single, "Extraordinary Life." The album also contains soul-searching numbers like "Nothing's Forever," as well as Yes and King Crimson-like epics "Parallel Worlds/Vortex/Deya" and "Sleeping Giant/No Way Back/Reprise," each clocking in at over eight minutes in length.

While most of the new songs apparently are not ready for showcasing live, the band's rendition of the new single was delivered with high emotion during the group's high-energy April 14 gig in Peekskill.

The tweaking of a string of tunes from the band's first two albums--including the popular singles "Only Time Will Tell" and "Heat of the Moment"--were infused with subtle new rhythm hooks, refreshing guitar leads and the booming voice of Wetton, hitting all the high notes with powerful confidence over the course of two sets that evening at the Paramount Center for the Arts.

Palmer discussed the process of recording "Phoenix," as well as his role in entertaining concert audiences every night from his place behinfd the drum kit. Asia ramps down their 'Phoenix' Tour after a swing through Japan and Europe in late May to allow guitarist Steve Howe to ready for a scheduled Yes tour which commences in mid-July.

LiveDaily: Creating "Phoenix," Asia had to follow something of a formula to be accessible to your core fans, but also remain true to who you are as individual musicians a quarter century after you last recorded together. Did that present a challenge at times, or was it like getting back on your old bike for a spin?

Carl Palmer: Quite honestly, the album that Asia has made is an adult-sounding album. The melodies are beautiful and the lyrics are obviously heartfelt, a lot of them attached to John's well being--the dramas and the traumas he's been through. So, when the music was being written and the tracks were going down--and I did participate on one song as a writer--the part I always play in a band is just being very, very honest.

And did that serve you well?

Well, most of my life, I've had to play other people's material. So, when I first joined Emerson, Lake and Palmer, I adopted a policy to be brutally honest. Instead of being a "yes" man, or sitting on the fence, I came out and said exactly how I felt about individual parts--the lyrics, the melody, what have you--because I felt if members couldn't take it from another member of the band, who is not a threat to them--who is not about to walk in with a carrier bag of songs and say, "Play these"--the drummer could have an incredibly powerful role if he decided to go down that path, which I did with ELP and it's the same with Asia.

How did that all play out as you all crafted your new songs?

Everything that came up during that period--and it was an organic time we had there in the studio--was very natural. We went and did our parts, sometimes individually, sometimes together. John would call me up and say, 'Could we try doing this or that?,' and I would go in and experiment. The same thing happened with the melodic side with Steve and Geoff. [It] was very natural.

It sounds like a true collaborative process.

It was a great experience, you see, because we had nothing to prove to each other, we just had to prove to ourselves, collectively, that we could make an album which was of quality; which was of the moment; and which represents Asia of today. The only way to do that would be to be as honest as one can. But, when you have such diverse players like Steve Howe on guitar, you're going to get something oddball, a little strange sounding. But. on the other side of the coin, that's what Asia is. Asia has that slight twist to it--and it naturally comes out. I like to inspire people in the studio and I'm only too happy to change what I play--in actual fact, some of the best things I've been asked to play have been inspired by, or recommended by, other people. That's lovely, because we're all here to learn and improve, right?

And it doesn't seem like a lot of time passed between John's recovery, your recovery and the completion of "Phoenix."

This happened very quickly over a three-month period, which is a significant enough time to put some tracks down. There was no preconceived plan. We just experimented, people wrote, people developed ideas and it went from there.

In concert with Asia, you are provided a chance to do an extended solo every show, which is becoming somewhat rare. As a drummer--certainly regarded as one of the world's best in the world of rock--how do you approach that moment in the spotlight?

Well, it's nice to have full command of the technical aspects of drumming, because that's your musical vocabulary and you can draw from it. I believe drum solos should be entertaining. Most solos that I see are technically good--but they tend to bore the public because not everyone is a drummer. The drums can be a very entertaining instrument and you can play clever technical things as well. One thing I always do, and I play a solo in every band I've played in--I go for the moment in time, I go with the momentum. I go for that moment, and if I feel I'm not quite doing it, I've got showy things to fall back on to get through it. If there's a drummer in the room, they will still see I can play. But all those non-drummers will still go away with smiles on their faces.

You've said "Extraordinary Life" is quite possibly one of the best songs Asia has ever recorded. What is it about that song that will resonate with fans old and new?

The lyrics are quite deep. They have to do with John Wetton's life, and seeking this 'treat every day like it's the last' idea, which, when you consider what he and I have been through, I can relate. It's a classic rock melody--not a heavy metal piece but not middle of the road. The piece just rang out to me as applying to everyone in our age group--it just seemed real for this moment in time and it seemed to capture Asia where we are now as human beings, and as a group.

Editor's note: The introduction to this interview was edited on 4/21 to accurately reflect its scope.