The notorious vocalist of Brazilian power metal stars ANGRA, Edu Falaschi, still unable to escape the shadow of his legendary predecessor ANDRE MATOS, decided to test his songwriting abilities with a solo endeavor. The project, named ALMAH, brought together well-known musicians from all corners of the world — NIGHTWISH guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, STRATOVARIUS bassist Lauri Porra, and KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo. Unlike many other all-star projects, Edu decided to take on vocal duties entirely by himself.
After the first listen, you immediately get the impression that the compositions were written over a considerable period of time — they sound so different from one another. This is the album's main drawback; listening to the disc in its entirety is quite a demanding task. On the other hand, individual compositions leave a very positive impression. As it turns out, Falaschi is most successful at writing ballads, where his voice shows its best qualities — the excellent Forgotten Land and Primitive Chaos, reminiscent in performance and structure of Michael Kiske's finest creations, yet distinctive in their own right — the mid-tempo Breathe, the experimental prog-rock Box Of Illusion, and the self-titled Almah incorporating elements of local, that is, Brazilian culture in its sound. As we can see, out of 11 songs, not counting two unremarkable bonus tracks for the russian edition, 5 are ballads, which would be absolutely unacceptable for the Brazilian's main band but is entirely feasible for a solo release. Among the heavier tracks, I can only highlight Golden Empire — with its excellent keyboard foundation and solo passage in the chorus.
A very ambiguous record, its perception marred by unnecessary stylistic diversity and uneven material, yet at the same time winning you over with gorgeous ballads and outstanding vocal abilities.