Tigersclaw – Force Of Destiny
Album Review By Rainer Kerber
Tigersclaw is the baby of multi-instrumentalist Alexander Baier. He composes, arranges and produces all songs. He gets musical support from his longtime companion Ralf Neumann, who plays the drums parts. Third in the league is the opera singer Elena Minina. Since Elena has a permanent job as a soloist at the Moscow Gradsky Hall, she records her vocal tracks in a Moscow recording studio. That this international collaboration works, the trio has proved with the debut album “Princess Of The Dark”. In February, the second album was released under the title “Force Of Destiny”. Of course I was curious if the musicians could keep the level of the debut.
And on the album you get to hear exactly what you expect in this genre. Even the title song “Force Of Destiny” makes it clear. The main focus of the production is on the outstanding and versatile voice of front elf Elena Minina. She masters everything from the mezzo-soprano to the highest pitched coloratura. One of the best songs of the album “Walpurgis Night” starts with gentle piano sounds and quiet guitar riffs. Later it takes a bit more speed. Nevertheless, quiet guitar riffs dominate over long distances. The “band song” “Tigersclaw” starts first balladesk and you listen to the enchanting voice of the singer. After that, “Speed Of Light” lives up to its name, at least in part. Speedy passages alternate with a mid-tempo anthem. To dream then invites the beautiful ballad “Empire Of Forgotten Souls”, sometimes only the interplay between e-piano and vocals can be heard. The same can be said for “Still Of The Night”. However, it is mostly the guitars that flatter Elina’s voice. With “For Kingdoms Pride” and “Breath Of The Dragon” follow more midtempo songs. Striking is the high ballad share. And with such a the album ends then.
It looks as if mastermind Alexander Baier had a veritable burst of creativity. Fifteen songs with a playing time of 73 minutes, you need a lot of staying power as a listener. A little less would have been more here too. Sure, there is not a bad song on the album, but for my taste it lacks real highlights. Most songs are in the mid-tempo range or are ballads. Occasionally, the pace is increased a bit. The compositions are clearly tailored to the singer Elina Minina. She sings in her own league and can easily compete with the great sopranos of this genre (Simone Simons, Laura Macri, Dianne van Giersbergen). The instruments sound a bit too good to me at time. Sometimes I would have wished for more power. The bottom line is, “Force Of Destiny” is a good second work by Tigersclaw. These are unfortunately only a studio project. However, I would like to have one or the other live performance.
Tigersclaw – Force Of Destiny – Lyrics Video: https://youtu.be/OaQpXC5xl74
Lineup:
Elena Minina – Vocals
Alexander Baier– Composition, all Music/Instruments
Ralf Neumann – Drums
Label: 7Hard
Out: February 15th 2019
Playing time: 01:13:14
Track list:
- Force Of Destiny
- Walpurgis Night
- Tigersclaw
- Speed Of Light
- Empire Of Forgotten Souls
- Lightyears Away
- Still Of The Night
- The Fallen Queen
- Feel The Night
- For kingdoms pride
- Dimitte Me
- Tears In The Night
- Angels Don’t Cry
- Breath Of The Dragon
- Love At First Sight
Rating : 8/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
