Almah is apparently a new supergroup featuring the talents of Brazilian singer Edu Falashi, a development I was not clued into. Glad I knew that.

All shitty jokes aside, Almah is power metal clearly done by professionals, or at least a really good Iron Maiden or Dio tribute band. The influence of those two musical superpowers hovers over this album the same way Gigli hangs over Ben Affleck’s career. It’s impossible to separate this band from its influences. The album is certainly well produced (it’s a supergroup so how could it not be?), but there doesn’t seem to be a clear establishment of who Almah is. Sure they can rock, and Falashi has an impressive range, but there aren’t many moments when they distinguish themselves as a distinct force. Granted, it’s power metal so they are working in a genre that has its limitations, but still, you’d have thought with all this talent they would come up with something stronger.

The interesting thing about this record is that it’s the ballads that are the strongest tracks. Both “Forgotten Land” and “Primitive Chaos” have a big, “lighters in the air” sort of sound to them. Falashi’s voice is much more expressive than the faster tracks allow him to be and the fact that his accent sometimes comes through makes it more endearing.

In fact, the last few tracks have an almost pop-oriented feel to them. “Breathe,” “Box of Illusion” and “Almah” all sound like something you would hear on an AOR station. It’s a bit jarring after the power metal on the earlier songs.

It’s that shift that reveals why the record ultimately doesn’t work. It’s well made, but it’s hard to feel like the music is anything but technique. This kind of music was a lot better on Holy Diver.