--- product_id: 59066156 title: "Gravitas" price: "£93.83" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/59066156-gravitas store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Gravitas **Price:** £93.83 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Gravitas - **How much does it cost?** £93.83 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/59066156-gravitas) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description 32 years after their wildly popular self-titled debut album's release, the legendary British rock band, ASIA returns with a brand new studio album entitled Gravitas. This album introduces new guitarist Sam Coulson who was recommended to the band by none other than Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big. The new album is being hailed as their best album since its classic early '80s releases Review: Another great album! - I've liked Asia ever since day 1. And over the years since 1992's debut, they have turned out some great albums (wasn't so enthusiastic about Alpha though) and this latest offering shows that they can still come up with a good batch of songs. This is the first with new guitar player Sam Coulson, and he does an admirable job. OK, he doesn't dominate like Joe Satriani would, but he doesn't need to. There are some good riffs here and some "short but sweet" solos. Sounds akin to Astra to my ears. This album is better than XXX, but on an equal par with Omega. On their next tour I hope they do play a good mix of these recent albums as well as the classic songs from the first. Review: Post-Howe-sia - John Wetton provides some his customary sleeve notes to 'Gravitas' as he has done on several other recent albums. But on here it's what he doesn't say or rather who he doesn't mention that really struck a chord before I even played a note of this new cd. Mention is given to another Steve (Lukather) who was favoured for the vacant guitarist spot, but not of the departed founder member. "You say it best when you say nothing at all". Indeed. John Wetton and Geoff Downes penned all nine tracks on this album and John Wetton and Geoff Downes handle production duties (taking over from Mike Paxman who was at the controls for the last two albums). One song 'I would die for you' harks back to the 80s but otherwise it's a mixed bag of new compositions circa 2013. Opening up with the fast paced and harmonious 'Valkyrie' complete with trademark cello licks (Katinka Kleijn taking over from Hugh McDowell) and sumptuous harmonies, you instantly feel on safe Asia ground. New guitarist Sam Coulson is let off the leash at around the four minute mark and instantly you know the Asia sound is back with us, even if he's been strangely silent for the previous four minutes. Next up is the title track 'Gravitas' another anthemic track, split into two parts and then the stonking ballad 'The closer I get to you' (reprised as a bonus acoustic version). 'Nyctophobia' (what?? looked it up in the dictionary and it means 'fear of the dark', didn't know that before so I have learnt something!) is a quirky number followed by my least favourite track 'Russian Dolls'. 'Heaven help me now' has a prelude intro to it before the chord and chorus roll out; a definite highlight and this is followed by the 80s rocker 'I would die for you' which has Carl Palmer drumming like fury. The strangely titled 'Joe DiMaggio's Glove' is probably the only song that will ever be written with that title but it's a nice mid-tempo song also reprised in acoustic style. 'Till we meet again' is the last track and this is a title that has been used previously as a song title. The song here however is nothing like the Chicago song 'Till we meet again' and instead is a stomping anthem, not one of my favourites on this album however. So in summary a patchy album with nice guitar solos spread across the tracks from Sam Coulson but, as other reviewers have commented, these feel somewhat slotted in. I'm giving 3.5 stars as I love Asia, but of the four albums recorded since John Wetton rejoined Geoff Downes to reform the original Asia, this is probably my least favourite and actually ranking behind the excellent three Wetton/Downes albums. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | B00HZOBD3M | | Best Sellers Rank | 266,036 in CDs & Vinyl ( See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl ) 84,549 in Rock | | Customer reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (345) | | Item model number | FRCD643 | | Label | Frontiers | | Manufacturer | Frontiers | | Number of discs | 1 | | Product Dimensions | 14.45 x 13.31 x 0.97 cm; 104.33 g | ## Images ![Gravitas - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/914tbPqKAEL.jpg) ![Gravitas - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81VIjFuU8GL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another great album! *by V***T on 26 April 2014* I've liked Asia ever since day 1. And over the years since 1992's debut, they have turned out some great albums (wasn't so enthusiastic about Alpha though) and this latest offering shows that they can still come up with a good batch of songs. This is the first with new guitar player Sam Coulson, and he does an admirable job. OK, he doesn't dominate like Joe Satriani would, but he doesn't need to. There are some good riffs here and some "short but sweet" solos. Sounds akin to Astra to my ears. This album is better than XXX, but on an equal par with Omega. On their next tour I hope they do play a good mix of these recent albums as well as the classic songs from the first. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Post-Howe-sia *by S***P on 30 March 2014* John Wetton provides some his customary sleeve notes to 'Gravitas' as he has done on several other recent albums. But on here it's what he doesn't say or rather who he doesn't mention that really struck a chord before I even played a note of this new cd. Mention is given to another Steve (Lukather) who was favoured for the vacant guitarist spot, but not of the departed founder member. "You say it best when you say nothing at all". Indeed. John Wetton and Geoff Downes penned all nine tracks on this album and John Wetton and Geoff Downes handle production duties (taking over from Mike Paxman who was at the controls for the last two albums). One song 'I would die for you' harks back to the 80s but otherwise it's a mixed bag of new compositions circa 2013. Opening up with the fast paced and harmonious 'Valkyrie' complete with trademark cello licks (Katinka Kleijn taking over from Hugh McDowell) and sumptuous harmonies, you instantly feel on safe Asia ground. New guitarist Sam Coulson is let off the leash at around the four minute mark and instantly you know the Asia sound is back with us, even if he's been strangely silent for the previous four minutes. Next up is the title track 'Gravitas' another anthemic track, split into two parts and then the stonking ballad 'The closer I get to you' (reprised as a bonus acoustic version). 'Nyctophobia' (what?? looked it up in the dictionary and it means 'fear of the dark', didn't know that before so I have learnt something!) is a quirky number followed by my least favourite track 'Russian Dolls'. 'Heaven help me now' has a prelude intro to it before the chord and chorus roll out; a definite highlight and this is followed by the 80s rocker 'I would die for you' which has Carl Palmer drumming like fury. The strangely titled 'Joe DiMaggio's Glove' is probably the only song that will ever be written with that title but it's a nice mid-tempo song also reprised in acoustic style. 'Till we meet again' is the last track and this is a title that has been used previously as a song title. The song here however is nothing like the Chicago song 'Till we meet again' and instead is a stomping anthem, not one of my favourites on this album however. So in summary a patchy album with nice guitar solos spread across the tracks from Sam Coulson but, as other reviewers have commented, these feel somewhat slotted in. I'm giving 3.5 stars as I love Asia, but of the four albums recorded since John Wetton rejoined Geoff Downes to reform the original Asia, this is probably my least favourite and actually ranking behind the excellent three Wetton/Downes albums. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great and final album by John Wetton *by M***D on 17 March 2022* The final album with lead singer Wetton. A great album that captures the magic of Asia, they would never be able to recapture their first three albums but this album proves the band as matured and aged well. Sadly John Wetton as died though I hope for a further future album? Should Geoff Downes make up with John Payne? --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/59066156-gravitas](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/59066156-gravitas) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*