I have always admired Victor Smolski. We learnt him as a guitarist in Mind Odyssey and Rage, but I believe that only in his solo projects we can enjoy the real Victor Smolski. Natural as it is, he is free to do whatever he wants with his guitar, the music, the lyrics, the whole production of his albums. The beast is unleashed and Smolski listens only to his inspiration and imagination. Of course, in Almanac Smolski can shape his music dreams into reality and share his fantasy with us. He has the leading role, the upper hand, and everything is up to him. Almanac’s new album is a pretty good one, a must for all Smolski fans and a good choice for everybody likes melodic, guitar driven heavy metal. “Rush of Death” contains all the elements that are necessary for a nice metal album – inspiration, melodic hooks, great technique in every instrument, interesting arrangements, a heavy rhythm section and a production that emphasizes on all of the above. Smolski has set all things perfectly and is waiting now for our response, which – in my opinion – should be positive. Because all new songs have something different to give, and are masterfully directed by Smolski (just select the last song of the record “Like a Machine” and you will get an idea) – the Belarusian guitarist isn’t reinventing melodic metal, however, he keeps us good company with a well-balanced album. If you are looking for melody and technique in metal, you must make a stop here.
♦ 7,5/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
