Land Of Tales is a new Finnish melodic rock band brought to us courtesy of Frontiers Records. A bit of history is required: Vocalist/guitarist Kristian and keyboardist Palle used to be in a band called Naiskala but they wanted to broaden their fan base and sound by singing in English to they started to write songs in English in 2006.

With the success of their MySpace page Frontiers came into the equation as did bassist Sami and drummer Sami O. And here they are in 2008 with their debut album. It's a sturdy effort with heavy use of keyboards and some heavy yet melodic riffs.

Kristian has a terrific voice; powerful and emotional. There's also some nifty guitar solos especially on the wonderful track 'Slow Waters.' Another strong song is 'So Long' which sounds like early Journey but heavier.

The production is first rate and the band know how to cook a memorable melody. Kristian's accent is very strong but that's not a problem when the performances are so professional and confident.

I suspect melodic rock fans will be hearing a lot more from this band in the future...

***½

Review by Neil Daniels

www.neildaniels.com