Last year, one of our newest members Harry reviewed a demo by a Portuguese band called URBAN TALES. They say better late than ever, so the band's debut album, which was actually released in 2007, reached my hands only a few days ago. Even though I am not a big fan of the melodic side of Metal, Diary Of A No was a good chance for me to take a small break from the extreme Metal albums I had to review lately. So, here we go with Diary Of A No and then back to the pit...

The band was formed in late 2004, when Marcos Cesar (the band's frontman) left SOUL DESPAIR to form his own band. He gathered some musicians with whom he could share his musical dream and two years later URBAN TALES released their Urban Tales demo, a release that earned them their contract with the Greek label Burning Star Records. Without wasting time, the band prepared for the release of its high anticipated debut album, something that took place only one year after the release of their demo CD.

So, what are these guys all about? I suppose that I have got the answer for this question after I listened to Diary Of A No (what a clever title by the way) for some times. URBAN TALES play a catchy kind of melodic Goth Metal/Rock, which resembles to bands like CHARON, HIM and TO/DIE/FOR. Cesar's vocals are powerful and fit perfectly the catchy melodic choruses. The rhythm section is simple yet solid as a rock and the leads are really good for this kind of music. URBAN TALES are actually offering us a more than good debut album packed with some nice tunes and a great production that can stand proudly next to bands like POISONBLACK and the rest of the Finnish melodic Metal scene.

What if they are Portuguese? These guys should definitely be born in a colder and darker country, where their music belongs. URBAN TALES came out of nowhere amazing me with their easy listening music, even if it is not my cup of tea. However, since I like listening to some bands of this style, I believe that URBAN TALES can be the next big thing if they keep working like that.

Note: There is also a limited edition with a bonus DVD that contains some bonus audio stuff, two video clips, a documentary, as well as some extras like images, videos, sponsors and the band's greetings to various people (which is actually the booklet's thanks to section).