Brother Firetribe - False Metal (2006)

There’s been quite some commotion over this here Brother Firetribe these past few months. BFT is the outfit centred around Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen and the music dished out by the band on “False Metal” is not only a genuine breath of fresh air for all you AOR/melodic rockers out there, it also comes as one helluva surprise as not for one moment during the 10 tracks included you are reminded of the aforementioned Nightwish.
BFT stands for a dose of genuine AOR/melodic rock that reels you in from the very first notes and doesn’t let go even if you put the album on continuous rotation. The song material is well written, even though the guys kept it pretty simply lyrically, and gives you that happy feeling which makes it hard to just sit still and that’s something I haven’t felt in a long time.
Looking for a weak track is like searching for a needle in a haystack cause each cut lodges itself in your brain after a few listens and on top of that you get the irresistible urge to singalong with the album.
But that’s not all, folks! The musicians involved also deserve a special mention for their chops especially ivory tickler Tomppa Nikulainen whose keyboard parts keep everything sounding “fresh” and “airy” and are a true pleasure to listen to. Add to that the excellent guitar playing of Emppu and the first class vocals of Pekka Ansio Heino and you (finally) have all the ingredients for a great release in our beloved genre.
Of course there will be individuals who will tackle the band on their lack of originality in the song material. But then who cares about these people anyway? Most important thing is that this disc will be welcomed with open arms by the majority of AOR/melodic rock and keyboard aficionados.
I won’t go as far as saying that BFT released a classic-to-be but I’m pretty sure this album will end up in my personal top 10 at the end of the year.
To sum it up this is a highly enjoyable release that leaves you with a great, happy feeling after each spin and there aren’t many albums released over the past 7 months that have that same quality?