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A very underrated release here from German veterans Chinchilla, a band that always seemed to slip under the net despite playing quality Power Metal and having a knack for catchy hooks and a topical lyrical stance. As with most of their work, The Last Millennium, the band's third release, concerns global matters such as the world being taken over by giant machines and the like, all one big metaphor I'm sure, but unlike their past and future releases, there's not a bad song on here, apart from the ill-advised cover of "The Boys Are Back In Town" (oh dear, boys, what were you thinking?), and despite having a tough album to beat in Fight, Chinchilla managed to craft a terrifically memorable album here, one full of mid-paced Power Metal gems that will please almost any fan of the genre.

Sounding like a mix of early Edguy and later Accept, with a great big dollop of 80s Iron Maiden thrown in, Chinchilla's particular brand of metal is gritty yet accessible, impossibly melodic, with a glut of straightforward yet engaging riffs, soaring vocals from the very Sammet-like Thomas Laasch, and big shiny choruses, backed up by the powerful choirs of Brainstorm/Symphorce man Andy B. Franck. With a production that is polished just enough for the kids but with enough dirt and distortion for the old timers, tracks like the anthemic "War Machine", the Helloween-esque "Nighttrain Of Death", and the so-damn-catchy-it-hurts "Victims Of The Night" (just listen to that refrain!) are essential listening for the Power Metal fanatic, as well as the warrior masses who just like a good headbang and a dirty riff to do it with.

With a bleak lyrical landscape, strangely uplifting choruses and a bitching set of tracks (apart from the Thin Lizzy cover), The Last Millennium deserves more recognition as an underground gem, and with a bit of luck, I might have just persuaded you to discover it.