Almanac - Tsar

Published May 29 2016

*=Staff's pick	Tsar Self Blinded Eyes Darkness Hands Are Tied Children Of The Future No More Shadows* Nevermore Reign Of Madness Flames Of Fate

Genre	Progressive Heavy Metal	Jeannette Marchewka	Vocals
Tracks	9	David Readman	Vocals
Running time	52 Min.	Andy B. Franck	Vocals
Label	Nuclear Blast	Victor Smolski	Guitar
Release	March 18, 2016	Armin Alic	Bass
Country	Germany	Michael Kolar	Drums
Producer	Victor Smolski	Enric Garcia	Keyboard
Similar artists	---

Following his departure from Rage, guitar virtuoso Victor Smolski has teamed up with Orquestra Barcelona Filharmonia and the vocalists Jeannette Marchewka (Lingua Mortis Orchestra), David Readman (Pink Cream 69) and Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm) for a bombastic new band with a historic theme.

Considering the above, it should come as no surprise that this is elegantly polished, well produced and executed, but unfortunately also very generic and dull. I find it nearly impossible to remember one single riff or chorus even after a dozen spins. The album gets somewhat interesting when we hit the songs No More Shadows and Nevermore, but that is about it.

There are a few nice passages to be found on this album, but the lion's share goes in through one ear and straight out of the other. I hear blocks of quite tired ideas put together but hardly no songs. Add to that vocal efforts that feel out of place and my initial high expectations are completely down the drain.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	4	7	6	3

Summary
3 chalices of 10 - Tommy