Astrid Lindgren, blonde girls, Ikea, Volvo, sociocritical thrillers. These were my associations with Sweden until very recently, and chances are that yours do not differ much from them. Unless you are a Swedish reggae lover, in that case, First Light might be among those that come to your mind instantly. This band from Enköping, Sweden - 48 miles west of Stockholm - was established in 2001. Today, the group consists of ten musicians. Recently, they released their first album, called Judgement Time. And that is precisely the reason why, from now on, First Light should be your first association if you think of Sweden.The first thing that strikes when you hold Judgement Time in your hands is its artwork. Jesper “Jah-T” H-Thorsell drew a colorful, rich in detail picture that sends an unambiguous message: Rastas are walking towards the light, while the rest burns or freezes in hell. A simple dualism, of course, but instead of criticizing it, I will focus on what really counts: the music.Play. A heavy thunderstorm precedes the thick, earthy sound that immediately presents what might be its single most important feature - heavenly brass melodies that work as an antithesis to the heavy riddims rooted in the roots and dancehall of the early 1980s. While this tension zone, representing the hardships of life in Babylon and the ease of life on the trod to Zion, is precisely why reggae found supporters all over the world, it seems to be more developed on Judgement Time than on any other more or less recent reggae production I have stumbled across. The second outstanding musical feature is the voice of First Light‘s lead singer, Michél León. High-pitched as it is, it bears a distant resemblance to that of Ali Campbell. First Light sounds like UB40 meets Burning Spear mixed by King Tubby, in a way.As its name implies, Judgement Time is a deeply spiritual album of uncompromised righteousness and consciousness, but it never sounds stiff, constrained or oldfashioned. The topics dealt with range from the mandatory Ganja tune to living in a moneypulated society to righteous livity. Nothing new, you might chip in, but definitely in such high quality that this album is easily among the best reggae albums released this year in Europe. It will most likely become more than just your soundtrack when you visit Ikea next time.

Renowned Swedish producer and sound wizard Internal Dread died in a traffic accident August 2012. One of his last projects was Swedish ten piece roots reggae rockers First Light and their debut album 'Judgement Time'.This twelve track live played reggae album is directly derived from vintage Jamaican roots and early dancehall. Lead singer and percussionist Michél León’s youthful, energetic and high tone resemble vocalists such as Triston Palma, Barrington Levy and the late Hugh Mundell.Internal Dread used his dub skills when mixing the album and effects are present throughout the set, especially echo-laid vocals and guitar.Most of the album is based on original riddims, and the only relicks are a bouncy version of the Studio One classic Real Rock, and a lethal cut of the Cuss Cuss riddim, one of the most versioned riddims ever and originally produced by Harry J and sung by Lloyd Robinson back in the late 60’s.The tragic and untimely death of Internal Dread has hit the Swedish reggae scene hard, but 'Judgement Time' is highly respectable legacy.- See more at: http://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1241/020213/first-light-judgement-time#sthash.Q6lVUCpS.dpuf