Band:	Asperity
Album:	The Final Demand
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	2004
A review by:	Malcolm

01. Will They Come
02. Pleasure And Pain
03. The Prey
04. Soul Collector
05. Never Understand
06. Final Demand
07. The Man With 1000 Faces
08. Past Life
09. Rebellion
10. Sad Eyes

Surprise surprise, the album I had less expectations on shown to be the best of the three Arise releases.
With Stefan Westberg (Drums) and Petri Kuuisto (Guitars) from Swedish thrashers Carnal Forge (and ex- Steel Attack), Asperity here releases their debut album, "The Final Demand".
Asperity is a four-piece band that's also contains Peter Kronberg (Vocals, Bass) and Johan Jalonen (Guitars).

The first stone of Asperity was placed back when Stefan and Petri left Steel Attack, since Stefan wanted to play drums not sing and Petri guitar and not keyboards.
(Their main instruments, that's they use in Carnal Forge), but still do something else than just Carnal Forge.
They started to write, just for fun, and after some months four songs was ready for recording, but there was still one thing missing (or three), a good singer, a bass player and a second guitarist.
First to join was the second guitarist, Johan Jalonen, a good friend to both Stefan and Petri.
A couple of weeks later, an alternative for both the missing members shown up, in a guy named Peter Kronberg, he was perfect and finally, Asperity line-up was complete.
The started to rehears the songs and the first demo was recorded shortly after, is was good enough, so Spanish label Arise Records signed Asperity, and the guys started to work on their first full-length, named "The Final Demand", it's that very plastic piece I holding in my hand right now.

As I mention, my expectations wasn't to high (I don't know why) so I picked the other two Arise releases to review before this one. But when I finally gave it a chance, I was stunned.
This wasn't what I expected, not even close.
The songs are very well written, the melody in the songs are wonderful, the heaviness is awesome and Peter? Peter you're voice ROCKS!
The work Peter does with the first lines in the third song, "The Prey" is one of the best vocal performance I have heard, EVER!

The album starts with the song "Will They Come", and you'll only need to hear that one to know is this album will be one for you or not.
It's a wonderful song, and after I heard the album the first time, I didn't think they could have a song that's better. But I was wrong, very wrong.
The second one up, "Pleasure and Pain" is better, and once again, "No, this have to be the best track", and once again I was wrong, because next up, "The Prey", the master song.

"The Prey" starts like a mid-tempo song, it's maybe little too fast to be a real mid-tempo but it's one of the "slowest" on the record.
And when Peter starts to sing, you can feel that it's starting to crawl under your skin, wonderful, masterful.

Unfortunately there is no song on the album that can match that very song, so it's getting almost a little boring at the end, because you just want to hear the third song again, and then again.
But overall the material is good and even, there are no bad tracks, and no one that's much better then the others, except "The Prey" of course.

Peter have a voice that's better then many of today's singers, and the only thing I can find to complain on is when he sings high tones, he gets that impression that he's a Hardrock singer from the start. I don't know if it's true, but that's the impression I get.

Petri and Johan on guitars is a perfect "couple", that part is out of complain, and shall be priced because of the thrashy sound they get, very good.
And Stefan's drumming is perfect; the good doze of heaviness gives the drums a big role in the performance.
And the production is simply good, maybe not perfect but fits the music well. Would the production be perfect the album wouldn't be as good as it is.

Overall it's a very price-worth album that will surprise you a lot, and likely be played a lot in the future.
Fans of heavier heavy/power metal, will like this very much.
So don't hesitate, get this, it's worth every single coin you pay for it. Still doubtful, download a song and hear, because you need to hear this.

Favourite Songs: "The Prey" can't be real; it's so unbelievable good. "Will They Come", "Pleasure And Pain" & "Sad Eyes".