Nightrage we meet again, it’s been a while too since last album Insidious came out via Lifeforce Records in 2011. They were with that label for several albums and before then Century Media for a couple so it does seem a bit of a step down for them to a label that’s certainly not as well known. Mind you when they were on the ascendant the revolving cast list had some big hitting names to match; Snowy Shaw, Gus G, Tomas Lindberg and Nicholas Barker among them. One gets the impression that it is only down to the passion and sheer determination of founding member and guitarist Marios Iliopoulos that the band are still going. This time around the group is stripped down to a trio with him, Anders Hammer bass and new singer Ronnie Nyman, previous growler Antony Hämäläinen having stepped down in 2013. Still it’s quickly evident that the Greek leader is very much still in control and with the authenticity of two Swedes in the band, still playing some of the best Swedish melodic death metal around at the moment.
A really thick crunchy sound sees the title track pounding in and a massive elongated scream announcing its arrival. The ferocious rasps of the former hardcore metal band Always War singer Nyman fit right in and remind indeed a fair bit of Tompa himself. There’s anger, aggression and hefty riffing here in spades as well as time for a brief breakdown to allow a bit of slower guitar noodling before the rage comes back in. Melody is skilfully dished out and the first of these 11 stompers has brought me straight back into the zone of a type of music that I may have stopped listening to ages ago (indeed many could argue that it’s gone out of style) but as far as Nightrage are concerned they always manage to deliver the goods and happily bring me back. By second number ‘With A Blade Of A Knife’ cutting away at the layers I have a big smile across my mush and my neck is already wrecked. This one rides roughshod and must be a great live number (still pissed off completely I missed the band last time they visited due to a really bad show clash) with little mercy about it. Some more traditional metallic grooves and a slower poison spreads over ‘Desperate Vows’ which has a very melodic clean backing crooned chorus that reminds me a lot of In Flames before they went down the plughole completely. Some gorgeous acoustic guitar work ends this one off nicely before the next number ‘Endless Night’ literally raises the bruises with its hefty punch again.
There’s not a huge amount here that’s going to surprise any former listeners of the band or indeed the whole Swedish melodeath scene but that’s not the point here and the best way you want to go into this is to just lose yourself in the glorious rifferama and barking vocals for the 45 minute or so duration and possibly wonder why the band were never quite as big as they deserved to be. Still the press does mention Japanese and Russian tours last year so I guess they can’t be doing that bad abroad and maybe it’s just the UK that never really gave the band their due.
Probably my favourite track here is ‘Foul Vile Life’ and with a title like that no doubt it would be. It’s just so angry and in the face with an excellent hard hitting chorus that it’s impossible not to love it. Midway through acoustic instrumental ‘Lone Lake’ gives a slight breather with some more delicate guitar work very much full of atmosphere before the band explode again with ‘Son Of Sorrow’ a blast beat laden number that if anything is pure death forget about the melodic part! Also of note here is that Gus G apparently got in on the act to help out with ‘When Gold Turns To Rust’ which as you would expect is none too shoddy. Now if only At The Gates would give them a main tour support!
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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