Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Asia
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 1994
Length: 48:10
Rating: 4.5/5
“Aria” was the second album from the revamped Asia, who had beefed up their sound in the early nineties with John Payne as singer and bassist, replacing the prog rock legend John Wetton, who had decided to focus on his solo career. Seasoned keyboardist Geoff Downes (ex-The Buggles, Yes), by then firmly established as the band’s boss, was determined to update the sound of this cult AOR/art rock outfit. For plenty of inconsolable, longtime fans, Asia would always belong to the eighties, when the lineup was made up entirely of prog rock stars.
On the predecessor “Aqua,” Downes and Payne, despite the doubts of those who couldn’t get over Wetton’s departure, successfully proved they could carry on without some of the charismatic figures who had defined this great band’s past. While the previous record still featured two original members, Carl Palmer and Steve “Mr. Owl” Howe, “Aria” is, with the exception of Downes, entirely the work of a younger generation of musicians who infused the cult band with a refreshing zest. A few memories of the glory days come back with the return of the legendary Roger Dean, who painted his trademark mystical cover, though after so many years of the same old motifs it already feels a little generic.
On “Aria,” Downes and Payne tried to consolidate and expand the sonic capital from “Aqua,” and despite all the doubts they pulled it off convincingly. The result was yet another superb, stylistically rich and varied album. This time Downes wanted a slightly heavier sound that might win the band a new generation of fans, so he brought in Al Pitrelli, a highly regarded studio guitarist best known for his work with metal and hard rock acts like Savatage, Megadeth and Alice Cooper. Even the band’s long-haired look at the time, Italian shirts and jeans included, was more reminiscent of some seriously intellectual prog metallers than of mature, middle-aged family men or bored prog rock dads who, when they’re not on stage, mostly swear by golf. Palmer was replaced behind the drums by Mike Sturgis, well known to classic rock fans as a former member of the supergroup Phenomena and the legendary Wishbone Ash.
From start to finish, the album is a real treat for all fans of melodic rock with a pinch of art rock dynamics. The epic, fighting-spirited “Anytime” ranks among the best opening tracks in the band’s story, which says a lot about its quality, since Asia racked up a good number of brilliant opening anthems over their career. Pitrelli’s mighty guitar riffs make their point instantly and blend nicely with Downes’ symphonic keyboard parts, while the triumphant chorus delivers melodic grandeur that makes the heart of every AOR gourmand skip a beat. The mysterious “Are You Big Enough?” makes an effective contrast with its predecessor, as it’s mostly set in a mid-tempo groove. The melancholic-dramatic “Desire” even includes a few world music elements in its intro, something Asia would play around with more actively on their next album.
The melodic ballad “Summer” is steeped in a nostalgic atmosphere, which is only deepened by Pitrelli’s excellent guitar solo. A keen ear will notice that it shares quite a bit of stylistic, and especially rhythmic, kinship with the Saxon classic “Hold On.” Mere coincidence, or borrowing ideas from their Anglo-Saxon ‘cousins’? On the excellent “Sad Situation,” without a doubt one of the album’s finest moments, it becomes clear that the songwriting and instrumental chemistry between Downes and Payne had reached new dimensions in this period. During “Don’t Cut the Wire (Brother)” they once again show an exceptional feel for symphonic sensibility, the result of a perfect fusion of AOR and art rock.
The quality compositions keep coming, like the power ballad “Feels Like Love,” the dramatic “Remembrance Day,” which is among the heaviest things of their career, and “Enough’s Enough,” which, thanks to the sound of the synths, feels like it came straight out of the eighties. The pompous “Military Man” also deserves a special mention, giving them another Asia classic with a monumental chorus of the kind only John Payne can deliver. It’s no surprise that after ending his collaboration with Downes, Payne ‘adopted’ it and rereleased it in his own version. The closing title ballad boasts magnificent orchestral arrangements, while the chorus from “Desire” comes back around once more.
With “Aria,” the revamped Asia proved once again that they’d make it through the nineties as one of the finest melodic rock bands around. The difference is that they no longer cared about the eighties or about any potential commercial (non-)success. Even though plenty of people were convinced of the opposite when it came out, “Aria” has aged brilliantly and, in that respect too, ranks among the better achievements of this cult British band.
Lineup
Geoffrey Downes – keyboards, backing vocals
John Payne – vocals, bass guitar
Al Pitrelli – guitar
Mike Sturgis – drums
Production
John Payne and Geoff Downes
Tracklist
1. Anytime
2. Are You Big Enough?
3. Desire
4. Summer
5. Sad Situation
6. Don’t Cut the Wire (Brother)
7. Feels Like Love
8. Remembrance Day
9. Enough’s Enough
10. Military Man
11. Aria
