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Home to many fine products produced across the continent by established artists in the Melodic Heavy Metal field, Metal Heaven appears to be the perfect place for Cloudscape mastermind Mike Andersson to flex his songwriting muscles with his small but humble pet project, Planet Alliance, and for those who favour hooks over scowls in their metal makeup, you had better take heed: a quality record awaits.

So what exactly is on the cards? Fans of Cloudscape will no doubt recognize the tone and phrasing of the material, along with Andersson's piercing wail and heartfelt sentiments, but Planet Alliance and their debut record is much more subdued and placated than Andersson's main body of work, with much of the album belonging to headstrong, mid-paced stompers that recall the pomposity of Royal Hunt yet retains the compelling force of Eden's Curse and Crystal Ball. The songs vary quite largely from Melodic Hard Rock, jagged Power Metal, and tuneful AOR, with members of HammerFall, Last Tribe, Narnia and Freak Kitchen supplying the instrumental treatment behind the melodies. Ostensibly a songwriting workout between Andersson and guitarist Magnus Karlsson, there is no real lack of cohesion between the songs which lends the illusion of unity to the album, making you believe strongly that Planet Alliance is a vibrant, working organization. With so much variety — and songs like "Remember Me", Divided We Stay" and the Power Metal classic "Calling My Name" — there is a lot to be said about this record, and in general anyone who likes slickly produced Melodic Heavy Metal chock full of captivating melodies and soulful lyrical stances will find out that on Planet Alliance, everyone is invited to the party.