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ALMAH
"Motion" (AFM Records; 2011)
Reviewed by Jeff Rogers
Almah are Brazilian power metal, and holy cow are they
beasts within this genre! Almah also have progressive metal stirring around
within them, they don't lean towards it too much but you can hear it in the
intros and when they break it out. The guitar on "Motion" is incredible, the
solos are blistering and not just faster than lighting either, there is
substance to each one. The vocals are clean and sound really good. Power metal
gets a bad rap sometimes because it seems to lift itself up with other types of
metal, I just care about the "power" part and Almah have a great sound via the
crunchy and heavy riffage of Paulo Schroeber.
This is the third disc from Almah and by all accounts they are just getting
started but after listening to "Motion" a few times I'll say that they are just
getting better. Almah also have a thrash metal sound on a few songs, this whole
disc is just awesome from start to finish. You really can't hear the accent of
singer Edu until the last track "When and Why,"its an acoustic song with a
Spanish guitar flavor and soulful vocals.
Almah: Edu Falaschi - Vocals, keyboards; Felipe Andreoli - Bass, keyboards on
Daydream Lucidity; Marcelo Barbosa - Guitars; Paulo Schroeber - Guitars; Marcelo
Moreira - Drums.
For more information - http://almah.com.br/eng/discography/.
"Fragile Equality" (Blistering; 2008)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Most times, reviews just seem to flow like water. At other times, they're as hard as ice. Although I liked Almah right from the beginning, I found it damn near impossible to review their CD, "Fragile Equality." So I figured I'd better just plough on through.
The music on "Fragile Equality" is larger than life and, with the talent involved, it paints a colossal picture that sets the imagination ablaze. It profoundly affected me to the point of obsession. The more I listen to this CD, the more I like it. The range of musical expression here is awesome; you can really tell these guys love to play music. And, if you like music with plenty of hooks, then "Fragile Equality" is right up your alley.
The only flaws I can see here is that sometimes the vocals seem forced and the music may be over-produced at times but that doesn't take away from the overall coolness of this recording. I really like the keyboard aspect of this recording and I thought I heard a harpsichord, too.
For more information, check out http://www.almah.com.br.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright ? 2013 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
