This is the fifth album from the Swedish Power Metal band; melodic leads, fast sections and chorus based song structures are central aspects. There are clear parallels to other Power Metal bands like Hammerfall and Freedom Call but Nocturnal Rites have developed a sound of their own, fittingly mixing harder and grooving aspects with pace and cool hooks.

I have four favourite tracks:

Revelation is packed with lots of energy and the chorus is very catchy. The harder rhythm guitar works out very well and Jonny Lindqvist's voice has a clear and powerful vibe.

Never Die sets in with a massive drum attack, nicely supported by a deep bass and a thunderous guitar solo. A fantastic fast hymn with all a great Power Metal song needs.

Vengeance is another fast song with a melodic lead guitar melody and a vigorous mid-section, a very well put together track.

I must also mention Underworld that sounds quite different and has some surprising elements. The dark, slow and grooving approach is a welcome feature and adds some variation to the overall landscape. The atmospheric keyboard mood and great powerful bass advances the song quite a lot.

The rest of the songs consists of an around-good quality and a few average cuts like Invisible that doesn't have much interesting to offer with a tiresome chorus and medium quality groove. And Faceless God that has a solid foundation but misses a more spectacular flow and a refrain with more spark.

An extra plus comes from keyboard arrangements that create some extra depth and atmosphere; this gives the album a more complex edge and adds another layer.
Overall this is a good musical performance that doesn't set any new standards though.

The production is a bit too trebled and the drums have a strange distant edge, this is rather surprising when compared with the deep and heavy sound on the previous record Afterlife, anyway nothing really critical and overall a clear and good quality.

The lyrics are fantasy based and pretty much what could be expected. Stories of magic, the fight between light and darkness and religious themes. Not exactly innovative or mesmerizing but not bad either.

If you are looking for melodic Power Metal this is a good and reliable release, I would still advise new listeners to start out with The Sacred Talisman and Afterlife, being just that better and more worked through.

Written by Tommy
Friday, March 26, 2004
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Ratings

Tommy: 6.5/10

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