Zar
Don't Wait For Heroes

Zar is a band that disbanded in 2003 after they had released five albums, it has been quiet since 2003 but like some jesus from the planet Zar they have arisen from the dead. They are now a duo with the main character Tommy Clauss doing all but the drums on their new effort Don’t Wait for Heroes. The question is whether or not we should still wait for heroes, or if these guys Zar are the heroes we need. The name is familiar as I recall it from a song by Dennis DeYoung, a great song. If this album is half as good as the song I mentioned it will be a brilliant album but I am hesitant as I have reviewed a reissue of their debut a few years ago and I was far from impressed by that album. Lots of time has passed since that album was recorded though so they may be a lot more exciting now than they were then.

Melodic hardrock, built around catchy choruses and that sort of thing is what we are dealing with here. Rather typical modern production, I wouldn’t call the sound or the vocalist overly impressive and the same goes for the variation of the album. I think it is a tad on the long side but at 48 minutes it may be acceptable playing time if you like this kind of music. Hardly original but they press the right buttons for playing the nostalgia card and maybe that will be enough. I have a hard time seeing that they make this for anyone but those who are already sold on their music.

I am not really impressed by this album. It feels tired and to be honest it feels quite mediocre and I don’t really think they have really gained anything since their rather tired debut album. So why come back after 13 years just to make something completely ordinary? Well, maybe Tommy just missed making albums in the Zar name, maybe he wanted to give the fans something – I don’t really know but the thing is that if you aren’t a fan of Zar before this album, you still will not be one after hearing this album – there are just too many better albums out there already.

My recommendation when it comes to waiting or not for heroes is that I’d rather wait for heroes than take these guys for my new heroes as I almost certainly know that the next album I haven’t heard is at least as good as this one. If you are a fan of Zar you will probably find this agreeable, if not I suggest that you wait for other heroes.

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