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My first taste of the highly acclaimed Last Tribe, and I must admit it's certainly a sweet one. Being a massive fan of Magnus Karlsson's work with Russell Allen and Jørn Lande, I was highly interested in hearing more from him. What a player. This guy has some unreal talent forged with an uncanny ear for melody - my kind of player that's for sure. Last Tribe have a sound quite similar to that of Cloudscape, albeit with a decline on the progressive side of things. Furthering my comparison to Cloudscape is the vocal work of Rickard Bengtsson sounding an almost carbon copy of Micael Andersson . Maybe there's something in the water in Sweden?

After a throw-away intro "Witch Dance" parades through the speakers with inventive guitar work and a cracking main riff. Last Tribe clearly fall into the less heavy spectrum of the genre, their music more about being catchy than punishing. So half of you have just stopped reading right? "Passenger" is fantastic. sounding quite like some of the material from Allen – Lande's - The Battle and the chorus is damn catchy; I guarantee this will be stuck in your head for weeks. What I really like about these guys is that during the guitar solos, they don't have rhythm guitars; just bass and drums which is particularly effective in "Witch Dance" and "Bring Out The Brave". Most of the tracks here are around the six minute mark although they feel much shorter, attestation as to how enjoyable the material is. "Behind Your Eyes" is certainly one of my favorites, opening with a smoking guitar solo reminiscent of the untouchable Chris Impellitteri. It also happens to be one of the speedier numbers here; ans of acts like Yngwie Malmsteen, Cloudscape or Narnia, take note.

This is certainly one of the better Melodic Metal albums I've heard, equipped with many a hook and catchier than anything the mainstream has to offer - Last Tribe will suck you in. Malmsteen fans look no further than the meticulously crafted "Man Of Peace" - absolutely fantastic. Magnus Karlsson and his Last Tribe really deliver the goods here; maybe he could bring a little of that songwriting sensibility to Primal Fear (who, in case you didn't know, is who Karlsson is doing the rounds with these days.) Recommended