Asperity
The Final Demand

August 2004
Released: 2004, Arise Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Aryn

With two members of Carnal Forge in this band (Johan Jahlonen on guitar and Stefan Westerberg on drums) one might expect a blinding thrash assault from these Swedes. I was pleasantly surprised however with what I got, which is excellently sculpted melodic heavy metal. With a singer who at times recalls a slightly raspier Geoff Tate, and some wonderfully hook-laden songwriting, THE FINAL DEMAND has a lot to offer for fans of melodic metal. My only complaint with this album is the overall theme of sadness and depression in the lyrics, it seems so often that melodic metalers feel that the only thing they can write or sing about with any real emotion is heartbreak. This is all fine and dandy if you’re Tony Kakko, but listening to the laments of loneliness in a cold dark world makes this disc difficult to finish all the way through before it just becomes too overwhelming. But what it does, it does very well on tracks like “Will They Come”, and “The Pray”. Often times this band reminds me of the slower moments of groups like Thunderstone and Supreme Majesty, and Asperity will certainly appeal to fans of these bands. If you are into finely executed melodic metal with emotion-filled vocals then THE FINAL DEMAND is for you.