Michael Kiske
Readiness to Sacrifice

In the years following the split with Helloween in 1993 and the start of his solo career in 1996 with that "Instant Clarity", which alternated between moments of metal and rock with others where the style that would mark his subsequent works was visibly emerging, Michael Kiske experienced a definitive departure from metal and its world; indeed, during that period, there were many interviews where he began to renounce the genre that had brought him success, describing it as mentally closed and conveying satanic messages (??); and his past with Helloween, besides the recent album "Instant Clarity" which he found too rocky, also due to the collaboration with Kai Hansen and Adrian Smith; he even declared that his next album would be a pop record.

Fortunately, listening to this "R.T.S.", dated 1999, it becomes clear that things aren't exactly like that, and while it's true that the metallic and hard rock sounds present in its predecessor are completely abandoned, we are not faced with a pop album in the blandest and most mainstream sense of the term; but rather, 10 tracks that are very inspired and have a singer-songwriter flavor, embracing different styles and genres revealing the many facets of Kiske's songwriting, with his always wonderful voice that manages to beautify the various compositions.

The opener "Could Cry" is a pop-rock song that starts off sparkling with very cheerful rhythms, but then calms down, giving way to a rather calm and reflective chorus. With the following and beautiful "Ban ‘Em", Michael tries his hand at a song with folk and country influences, influences also well-present in the next "Philistine City", which contains superb vocal interpretation and a very inspired text, and here we are faced with one of the best songs ever sung by Kiske. "Crosstown" still reflects the folk-rock of the previous songs, but it's certainly more banal and less impactful, quickly giving way to the subsequent "Where Wishes Fly", an acoustic and melancholic ballad with dreamy and very evocative atmospheres, with a truly beautiful and evocative text.

Completely different is "Watch Your Blue", finally a more rock song and very fun, which almost contrasts with the darker and reflective atmospheres that pervade the rest of the album; in "Out Of Homes" we find another very heartfelt ballad, also possessing a very personal text that looks forward with confidence, devoid of the pessimistic influences that Kiske conveys in many of his songs from that period; particularly during the chorus, which states "I'm alone on the streets tonight, I am lost but I will get it right, silent anger chews my heart to mush; dirt stains on me like a skin, and you always gotta see me again", making it undoubtedly one of my favorite songs by the singer.

The pace picks up with "It", an almost rock song with somewhat enigmatic lyrics, but which nevertheless can be appreciated for its cheerful and sunny rhythms, before silence falls to introduce "Easy", a symphonic and piano ballad with a solemn and subdued sound, with Kiske providing a very heartfelt performance reaching truly impressive vocal heights; the lyrics are truly sad but also loaded with hope in the end as he sings "Lay all worries on me, lay all fears on me, lay all pain on me, lay all load on me, just lay all weight on me, put it all on my shoulder! Long is the road, that leads out of cold, a second will carry all fortune at once, a second can show!"; in what is undoubtedly one of the deepest songs ever written by the singer; it's not easy to understand, but certainly represents, along with "Always" and "Do I Remember A Life?" (from the previous album), the most intimate and personal side of the singer, able to express and translate into music the emotions flowing from his deepest soul.

The particular and medieval-sounding "Shadowfights" closes the album, another precious gem contained in the album, a song as light as air, tending to fly away and disappear, taking memories and glimpses of an ancient and hidden world with it; even though its lyrics oppose the music and contain catastrophic forebodings in line with the cosmic pessimism that pervades the entire album.

There couldn't have been a better closing for this "R.T.S.", a really particular, intimate, and completely out-of-the-box album, so much so that it was a major commercial failure, representing a severe blow to Michael Kiske, who also lost his record contract, finding himself, as he admitted some years later, facing financial difficulties and serious depression and health problems. This was followed by more years of silence, interrupted in 2003 by the questionable project Supared, which was yet another failure, from which fortunately Kiske would later recover, releasing in the following years, besides two very acoustic solo albums, two good records with Place Vendome, along with the collaboration and friendship with Denis Ward, leading them to form a new band together and undertake, in the summer of 2010, a tour where Michael will return to perform live after 17 years since his last appearance, on that distant "Chameleon" tour with  Helloween.