ASPIRE was created in November 2004 by guitarist Al Candello and vocalist Ryan Metzger. Al has gained some reputation with instrumental album Shades And Shadows which has climbed to the high charts of then most popular download site MP3.com. While it was the first band project for Ryan, he had already established himself as a skilled theater actor and had extensive vocal training.
The idea was to combine pure Power Metal, with it's heavy riffing and thunderous drumming with symphonic music. From the first days ASPIRE was a recording band, so, in just a few months, the band's first official release, EP All Ahead saw the light.
Despite of (or, maybe, because of) it's very unusual sound, All Ahead was very well received by the audience and fellow musicians. By combining thunderous drums and aggressive guitar sound of Power Metal with pure melody of symphony orchestra and classical opera tenor, ASPIRE creates it's own world from the first chord you'll hear. The title track from the EP was selected for Promo CD of the prestigious ProgPower USA VI Music Festival and the interest for the band grew.
The debut full-length album Quest Eternal, which also included all three songs from All Ahead, was released in July 2005. It immediately became a bestseller on CD Baby and many other European and American stores. More than twenty reviewers from all over the world praised the album, with one of them, a world-renown Progressive Rock and Progressive Metal webzine, calling it A new reference in Progressive Metal.
Many people have played with ASPIRE, with all of them contributing to the sound and live appearance of the band; however, it is always Al Candello and Ryan Metzger who define the band's sound. The band played in all great clubs in New York, including BMT (formerly L'Amours) and Don Hill's, drawing the steady audience of new and old fans.
As of this writing, ASPIRE is in the studio again, recording another full-length album which is scheduled for release in the early autumn of 2006.
Source : http://www.aspireband.com/bio.html
