Artist: Nocturnal Rites
Label: Century Media
Release: 2002
Well, I’ve heard a lot of praise for this band, especially since they put out their third album “Afterlife”. Chances are I’ve been missing out big time, or maybe not. So let’s take a closer look at the situation. The novelty is the production, which neatly plugged the huge sonic hole that yawned in the extreme polish between the band’s early sound of sky-high guitars and a rhythm line with an inaudible bass guitar in it. The sheer volume of the production on the dynamic rhythm section is without doubt an upgrade to the music of Nocturnal Rites, who sound sonically “the most evil” they ever have. The frequent “muted” riffs in the background of the accompaniment are heavily emphasized in the production and shoved up front. The sound is full.
Then again, hm… what the hell did I just blurt out? Something about evil? Don’t take me seriously, I meant… ahem. The metaphor of “evil” completely fades while listening to the predictable and mostly cheerful choruses in the vein of “Heigh-ho, off to work we go!”, backed by a painfully naive, borderline infantile choice of backing vocals. Picture dwarves happily marching into a mine with pickaxes and lamps, spending the whole day honestly scrubbing away at precious gems, and then trudging home late in the evening, “snore” and all, to their little beds. The adjective “evil” is truly earned only by “Faceless God” (chorus included). At least there the anger and aggression of Lindquist’s trained and quality, though sadly nondescript vocal come through in full, while in the framework of the other compositions it’s completely dimmed.
Well, I won’t deny it. The guitars shine across the board. Once again insanely fast in every respect (great little solos, expressive single-string chugging rhythms with fittingly added passing harmonies). The band’s trademark, the pinging of guitars over otherwise wound-up riffs, is the most pronounced yet thanks to the production, and once again adds some spice to the songs.
The power metallers of Nocturnal Rites can win you over instantly, but only temporarily (like a good Italian knockoff on the Ponte Rosso), since their music just crawls into your ear all by itself. So you spin a record like this nonstop for a whole month, then toss it in the corner of your room and forget about it forever with a clear conscience. Why are the Scandinavians so calculated and boxed in when it comes to power metal? Ugh, I’m so sick of these algebraic methods already! The main thing is that the forest fairy tales about dwarves (if only there were some actual hot little chicks around, too) live on: “Lazybones, vagabonds, off to bed with you!”
Lineup
John Lindqvist – vocals
Nils Norberg – guitar
Fredrik Mannberg – guitar
Mattias Bernhardsson – keyboards
Nils Eriksson – bass guitar
Owe Lingwall – drums
Production
Daniel Bergstrand
Track list
1. Eyes Of The Dead
2. Shadowland
3. Invincible
4. Revelation
5. Never Die
6. Underworld
7. Vengeance
8. Faceless God
9. Birth Of Chaos
10. The Watcher
Album length: 46.45
