Search - Last Tribe :: Uncrowned

Melodic Metal At its best

GORDON HUDDY | PERTH, W.A. Australia | 03/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am very seldom moved to write a review of anything, mostly because I buy far too much music to have enough time to do so (I'm too busy listening to it), but for this album, I simply must tell the world what they are missing.
I have not heard anything by 'Last Tribe' before so this is my first experience with this band. I think they are from sweden (like so many great rock/metal acts nowadays). The vocals are sung in English. The musicianship of all the band members is absolutely first rate. The production of the album is just about perfect. The singer is right for the band, and has a pleasing voice. Absolutely no complaints here.
The guitarist ranks a special mention. Take John Petrucci (from Dream Theater) and inject an extra boost of melodic creativity, and that just about sums up Magnus Karlsson (well for me anyway). All his work on this album is sublime, spine tingling, and memorable, but never too intense or over the top. Sure, he can play fast, and some of the bubbly low to high runs he performs are just awesome. He uses the right effects for the song too, never overdone though. I think I heard a slight Steve Vai sound on one track, but even within one song, he mixes it up a bit. He also plays all keyboards on the album but they are not dominant and rather serve to enrich the overall sound of the songs, except perhaps in song intros/outros or the instrumental interludes, where they sometimes can be heard more clearly.
The drummer is Jaime Salazar, who has previously played with 'The Flower Kings', another great swedish band (perhaps the greatest prog rock (not metal) act in the world in the last decade - just my opinion, we all have our favourites), so you know with that heritage this guy can really play, and he does.

There is not a single weak song on the entire album. All have catchy hooks that stick in your mind almost immediately. The choruses are amazing. They have some of the most beautiful vocal melodies and harmonies I have heard in a long while. The arrangements are great too. There are interesting instrumental sections in just about each song, keeping you interested the whole time. I simply cannot stop playing this CD. If you value great craftmanship and talent, and like the more melodic side of Dream Theater, or bands like Vanden Plas (eg Beyond Daylight album), or even the heavier side of Journey (eg Frontiers album), then you may like this album by 'Last Tribe'.
Don't just take my word for it, go to melodicrock dot com and see their review of this album.Track listing is:
(1) Healer
(2) The Chosen One
(3) Sacrifice
(4) The uncrowned
(5) Otherworld
(6) April Sky
(7) Sound Of Rain
(8) Only The Innocent
(9) Full Moon
(10) Call of the tribeMost songs are 5 or 6 minutes long, giving you plenty of time to soak up the sheer brilliance of each and every one.My favourites are Healer, The Chosen One, Sacrifice, and Sound Of Rain."