DarkTribe is a French power/prog metal band that's taken their scene by storm. By playing with greats such as Manowar, Girlschool, Voyager, and even Steve Harris' side project British Lion, and accumulating over twenty-thousand monthly listeners, DarkTribe has definitely made a name for themselves. Their newest release, "Forgotten Reveries," released on Scarlet Records, is an album I'm excited for, as progressive metal is a favorite genre of mine. "Forgotten Reveries" also marks their latest album release in five years; a sign that a lot of effort has been put into this by bandmates Bruno, Anthony, Loïc, and Guillame.

A triad of singles were released in the upcoming time before the album. The first of the three, "From Star To Dust," was released September 20th. It opens with electronics, and a sample of a countdown. The countdown leads into some power metal melodies, accompanied beautifully with said electronics. The soaring melodies and satisfying clean vocals show us what DarkTribe is all about. The second single, "Ghost Memories," was released about a month later. The drums gallop in the usual power metal style, and somehow, some wind blew through my hair when I started to listen. The lyrics are bit touché, but that's just power metal in it's purest form. The blistering guitar solos help, too. Some proggy elements shine through as well, which is always welcome on my end. The final single is "I Walk Alone."  The time signatures start to stray from the norm, and I am now well-adjusted to the angelic vocals. I mean, Anthony Angello can hold a note! The riffs are also a bit heavier here. "I Walk Alone" is the definite highlight single.

The full project starts with the quick, epic opener "Paradox," then the banger single "I Walk Alone." The quality only rises from then on. The following tracks such as "The Fallen World" and "Sicilian Danza" pick up the tempo and slow it down with ease, and songs like "Eden Eclipse" and "Reality" tug at the heartstrings and riff HARD. It's hard to pick a single song to talk about on this album, as there is so much variety and talent displayed. The last three songs really seal the deal for me. "Kings In The Sand" gets technical with the drumming, and the guitar solos have seemed to evolve in intricacy. The song as an AOR feel to it, but turned up a notch aggression-wise. "Mornings Of Fear" switches up a little bit, as it makes my head bang, but also want to sing my heart out - a great feeling. Pummeling blast-beats shine here, too! The closing track, and also the longest track is "Son Of Illusion." It opens epically, with choral elements and dissonant drumming, and even though the song is more ballad-y than the others, it's enjoyable, and hits hard. There is a spoken-word segment that is a bit awkward, but in the grand scheme of the project, it's not that significant. A great closer to "Forgotten Reveries."

DarkTribe's combination of beautiful, soaring vocals, symphonic and powerful melodies, and clean, technical playing make this album a lovely listen. Even though it's completely clean vocals, this is metal as HELL. This project will please any fans of power metal, prog, or anybody who just wants to take a break from the grimy, murky depths of "heavier" genres of metal. Amazing album.