Love Under Will

'Hold On', the opening track on this, Tribe After Tribe's latest album, is so frighteningly good, so savage and unrelenting with its screaming guitars and African vocal and drumming techniques that Pearl Jam's claim that this band from Africa-via-LA are going to be the next big thing seems as irrefutable as the fact that two and two makes four.

But while the rest of Love Under Will puts steady pressure on the boundaries of rock and contains a number of other visionary cuts, Tribe After Tribe still manage to fall prey to some radio rock/metal flaws. But hey, what do you expect from a band who were basically driven away from packed stadiums in Africa for being so outspoken about the injustice of Apartheid?

It's no surprise that Vedder and crew should have a soft spot for this band since Tribe after Tribe, in grossly simple terms, sound like Pearl Jam on a safari, or maybe Jane's Addiction camping out in a rain forest for a few years.

The cuts that succeed most - with 'Hold On' as the perfect example - are those that confuse the listener as to whether the band's musical background hinges predominantly on African music or white rock, by intermingling the two disparate styles so superbly. When AOR tendencies get the best of the band - as on 'In The Face of The Sun' - the mildly disappointing realisation that Tribe After Tribe are white hits you in the face like the Paul Simon back catalogue.

But if only because of songs like 'Babalon', a splendid ballad sprinkled with African vocals, 'Proud and Beautiful', which could easily be a Metallica/Peter Gabriel collaboration, and the explosive and addictive first track, Love Under Will has earned Tribe After Tribe the right to be tipped as the next big thing - at least for a little while.

* Tara McCarthy