Redemption of sorts for Michael Kiske
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 01/10/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"After the ill-received and incredibly schizophrenic Chameleon album, Michael Kiske found himself ousted from the legendary German power metal outfit Helloween. His solo debut - 1995's Instant Clarity - marked Kiske's return to making music, if not his return to heavy metal.
Instead of the power metal sound he was best known for, Kiske, aided by no less than Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith and former Helloween bandmate (and current Gamma Ray main man) Kai Hansen, released an album of melodic rock songs that range from AOR to hard rock that verges on metal. In truth, much of the material on Instant Clarity is not that far removed from the songs Kiske wrote for Chameleon, but what was hard to swallow from the band that brought us the famed Keeper of the Seven Keys albums is a lot easier to take coming from Kiske as a solo artist.
Given Kiske's somewhat uneven solo output (Supared, anyone?) as well as his often derogatory statements about heavy metal, I was prepared not to like this album. The combination of strong melodies and a voice that is synonymous with European power metal proved too hard to resist. It's not a perfect album by any means. When it's bad, it's bad. Thanx a Lot and So Sick bring back the worst excesses of Chameleon and Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Time's Passing By seems incredibly out of place here), but when it works it works well. The Calling, New Horizons, and the ballad Always are very strong songs, and while the 10-minute Do I Remember a Life wasn't quite the metal epic I was hoping for, there's no denying it's emotion and power (or Kiske's ability as a songwriter).
While Instant Clarity should appeal to Helloween fans, those expecting a return to the power metal glory days of the Keeper albums are going to be sorely disappointed.
NOTE: The 2006 Frontiers reissue of Instant Clarity features 4 bonus tracks. The first - A Song Is Just a Moment - was originally only available of the Japanese import of Instant Clarity. The remaining three tracks - I Don't Deserve Love, Sacred Grounds, and Can't Tell - are laid back acoustic songs that bear a strong resemblance to Extreme, as well as the material on Kiske's Place Vendome project.
"
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1