RIPPLES

Aspera is a young prog metal band coming from Norway and releasing their debute in early this year through InsideOut label. The album named Ripples is a good towards great journey in prog metal field with excellent musicianship all over the album. If I was very impressed by musicians and how easy they handle the instruments , specially the guitar player Robin Ognedal, the ideas on this release suffering of originality. I mean the copositions are good but I guess I've heared this kind of arrangements and aproach of prog metal hundred times before. Anyway the album is saved by the great musicianship and spectacular playing if not for intristing and great ideas. They remind me a lot , even in vocal department with Seventh Wonder from Sweden, almost same attitude and aproach to prog metal. All pieces stands as good, some passages are truly great, in virtuosic spectrum , but as I said nothing realy special in original elements. I will give for this debute, who is a good one but far from being essential, as other reviewers mentioned here, 3 stars maybe rounded to 3.5 for some moments here and there who are excellent.