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Nocturnal Rites - Shadowland


*
=Staff's pick

Eyes Of The Dead*
Shadowland*
Invincible
Revelation
Never Die*
Underworld
Vengeance*
Faceless God
Birth Of Chaos*
The Watcher


Genre Power Metal
Jonny Lindqvist
Vocals
Tracks 10
Fredrik Mannberg
Guitar
Runningtime 47 Min.
Nils Norberg
Guitar
Label Century Media
Nils Eriksson
Bass
Release 27 May 2002
Owe Lingvall
Drums
Country Sweden
Mattias Bernhardsson
Keyboards
Similar artists ---

According to me, Nocturnal Rites is one of the metalscenes most underrated bands today, not getting the recognition they deserve. they have been around for quite a while now - since the very beginning of the 1990's - and have released 4 albums prior to this one. After having done albums like the Secret Talisman and especially Afterlife in 2000 the expectations on this release were very high on what they would achieve this time.

This album pretty much continues where Afterlife left us, but with a slighty bit more mature sound this time. The openers Eyes Of The Dead and Shadowland are 2 energykicks, with the titletrack as a real killertune, which serves us heavy riffing of the kind that we are used to from the past album, although even more heavier, compact and more intelligent than before. The keyword in Nocturnal Rites has always been melodies - plenty of them - and they play a big part nowadays too, although not as big as before - the emphasis has moved from the harmonies to the heaviness.

What differs this album and its predecessor Afterlife from the older ones is first and foremost the new vocalist Jonny Lindqvist, which on this album really overdoes himselves. He might very well be Sweden's best vocalist in this genre, depending on who you ask. His songstyle would fit perfectly in a band of Yngwie Malmsteen's musical style, to take an example. After that opening the next song Invincible feels a bit like a commercialbreak - midtempo and average - until it kicks off again with Revelation. The tempo is taken up again to the charasterictic Nocturnal Rites style, and contains good riffing and a great chorus. The album keeps this standard the following 3 songs, with Never Die and Vengeance as stand-out songs with good doubledrum-pounding and catchy refrains. Faceless God are more midtempo, while the closers Birth Of Chaos and The Watcher both are powerful, heavy riffmonsters.

As I earlier said, the sound has matured significally, and this is really good metal with great refrains, riffs and solos - although the solos seem to decrease a tiny bit for every album. This is the first (but not last?) time Nocturnal Rites has moved outside their hometown Umeå, Sweden for the recording, and the Dug-Out Studios in Uppsala has really done miracles to the production this time. I am a huge fan of the melodies and compositions on their 3 first albums, but I have always thought that the production have left a bit to wish for in the past. The producer they have worked with this time has mainly worked with more heavier bands, like Meshuggah and Stuck Mojo to take a few examples, and that can be heard in the compact and clear guitarsound and the great and fat overall soundpicture.

I am personally very amazed that Nocturnal Rites hasn't had a big break-through yet, but I really hope that this is what's needed for these guys to make a big name out there, cause this sure is worth to be heared by as many metalheads as posssible. this is very well played metal that contains both heaviness, power and a great deal of catchyness, but without getting too "sugarsweet and singalong" as I know many people are getting tired of these days.

I must say that I thought they were good enough already before with the previous singer, the somewhat thinner production and the really "happy" tunes with tralalaa-lines and stuff, but this is just so much better and more metal. I strongly advice all of you that yet haven't heard Nocturnal Rites before to check them out, and than prefferably starting with this album. The already die-hard fans of the band can safely go and grab this copy too, cause this is very good power metal, and they aren't letting us down on either melodies, sound or riffs.

See also review of: Grand Illusion , New World Messiah , Afterlife

Production
Vocals
Compositions

9,5

10

9

 
Summary



9 chalices of 10 - Tommy

Related links:

www.nocturnal-rites.com