Absolute Power

If you haven't read my previous Aska review, let me sum up Avenger: An arranged marriage between Iron Maiden and Manowar with production less threatening than dachshund puppies, is better than Kid Rock. Now you're all caught up. Absolute Power is an improvement in most every way, offering more aggression and creativity in its articulation of modern USPM, namely "traditional" bands like Theocracy. Riffs seem chunkier and a little messier this time around, attempting to channel more of a Jag Panzer style with hard-hitting tracks like 'Vowbreaker' and 'Longships'. Band frontman George Call's lax imitation of Rob Rock is no more, now injecting more passion into his notes and better exploring his alleged 'five octave' range. His commanding and engaging voice is best utilized within the determined gallops of 'Invasion'.

But old habits die hard. This track features the chorus "Force! Power! Thunder!", so I'm sure you can conclude on your own that Aska is still clinging onto Manowar's beefy calves like a fair thong-clad maiden. Many choruses are delivered in loud, manly battlecries that sound like a PowerPoint presentation at Manowar Inc, discussing with shareholders the importance of thunder and how it relates to the company's annual goal of reaching Valhalla.

Luckily we're presented with a few exceptions. The peculiar 'Warrior Poets' is a tribute to Robert the Bruce, and thusly has Gaelic influence in riffs and in time signature. I could similarly praise 'Martyrer' and 'Freedom' for the same thing, managing to add Arabesque influence without sounding incorrect - musically or politically. The ratio of breaths of fresh air to oppressive Manowar headlocks is really dependent on the listener, but objectively speaking, there are less fluid ounces of armpit sweat here than in Avenger.

Despite being such a hefty improvement in other areas as well, there are several brand new pitfalls Absolute Power jumps in. Drums are absurdly quiet with snare tone in particular sounding tinny and unsatisfying. And at the risk of sounding hypocritical, production sounds a lot cheaper and less refined, making me long for the dachshund production of Avenger. Despite this, Absolute Power is a decent slab of USPM and the album I would most recommend to those curious about Aska. Perhaps not the most mind-blowing power metal in the world, but hey, not every band can be Crimson Glory.

Aska, is a classic sounding metal band from Dallas Texas. Absolute Power is their fifth LP and it's quite a good one. It's a good cross between classic metal and power metal, the power metal mostly coming from the vocals and the riff-age that almost mimics the vocals, usually following the vocal emotions and power.

This album is equally reliant on riffs as vocals, which is a bit of an oddity. There aren't any bad songs here, just quite a few that aren't anything special. There are a couple songs that do stand out, and these songs are really quite good. This makes the album worth mentioning, even if just as a vehicle for these songs, although it doesn't really make it an album worth buying. Off the top of my head, the song Legion sticks out. On most of the songs, it's a somewhat simple riff with cool bass parts and drum patterns that make it feel more complex than it really is.

Vocalist George Call's vocals are top notch here. Able to scream and have power, his vocals are really something to take note of. Not that he's the new Dio or Rob Halford, but he's a more than competent vocalist, and vastly superior to many bands that are significantly more famous than Aska. Not to mention, the rest of the band has plenty of technical prowess as well, although the band's music clearly isn't technical in nature. They do their jobs with skill, and are content doing said jobs. This eliminates the potential problem of a member trying to do too much just to show off, which can really harm an otherwise good song.

Overall this is a good album. A good album with a couple really good songs. It is by no means a modern classic, but it's totally worth the price of admission if you can afford it. I would personally recommend just looking it up and finding the songs you really like and buy those.