NOCTURNAL RITES SHADOWLAND
Century Media - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandon
One of the best moves that the Swedish band Nocturnal Rites made was getting Jonny Lindqvist as their vocalist for the 2000 release Afterlife. He added more power, more range and more confidence to the band that I think the band lacked with their previous singer Anders Zackrisson. Not only that but music-wise, Nocturnal Rites were able to distinguish themselves from the rest of the power metal bands with a heavier and crunchier sound as well as lyrics that didnt consist of swords, knights, dragons and all that fantasy stuff. This is not to say that those sort of lyrics are bad (hell I like Rhapsody) but basically every single power metal band writes about that. It was time for something different and Afterlife separated Nocturnal Rites from the rest of the pack and their follow-up album was one I was eagerly anticipating.
At first Shadowland grabbed me by surprise. There is plenty more melody present, reminiscent of their older albums, and more sing-along choruses than in Afterlife and I was beginning to think that they had taken a major step backwards. However, with more listens I began to realize that I was clearly mistaken. The sound is very similar to Afterlife but by adding the melody, Nocturnal Rites is able to combine their best elements to perfection.
Eyes of the Dead has a great chorus to sing along and it gets the album rolling in the perfect direction. Right away you can tell that the crunch in the guitars is still there. The momentum is kept up with the title track which would have fit perfectly in Afterlife and once again the chorus is phenomenal. Revelation starts out slow with the guitar chords but then the rest of the band jumps in and what really grabs my attention is the keyboard melody line in the beginning. Vengeance is one of the songs that shows the new direction that is found in this album. The melody and solo at the beginning distinguish the song from the rest of the album. The guitars solos are fast, melodic and just extremely cool. Speaking of solos my favorite one is found in Underworld, a slower paced song, that starts at 3:02. Faceless God is another slower paced song and I really enjoy the rhythm and pace during the entire song especially during the verses.
Shadowland is a worthy follow-up to Afterlife and continues to prove that Nocturnal Rites is a band that should be heard.. At this point, I wouldnt even categorize them as a power metal band, that would be an insult to Nocturnal Rites. They are heavy, they are melodic, and they are metal!
Century Media Website
Nocturnal Rites Official Website
Century Media - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandon
One of the best moves that the Swedish band Nocturnal Rites made was getting Jonny Lindqvist as their vocalist for the 2000 release Afterlife. He added more power, more range and more confidence to the band that I think the band lacked with their previous singer Anders Zackrisson. Not only that but music-wise, Nocturnal Rites were able to distinguish themselves from the rest of the power metal bands with a heavier and crunchier sound as well as lyrics that didnt consist of swords, knights, dragons and all that fantasy stuff. This is not to say that those sort of lyrics are bad (hell I like Rhapsody) but basically every single power metal band writes about that. It was time for something different and Afterlife separated Nocturnal Rites from the rest of the pack and their follow-up album was one I was eagerly anticipating.
At first Shadowland grabbed me by surprise. There is plenty more melody present, reminiscent of their older albums, and more sing-along choruses than in Afterlife and I was beginning to think that they had taken a major step backwards. However, with more listens I began to realize that I was clearly mistaken. The sound is very similar to Afterlife but by adding the melody, Nocturnal Rites is able to combine their best elements to perfection.
Eyes of the Dead has a great chorus to sing along and it gets the album rolling in the perfect direction. Right away you can tell that the crunch in the guitars is still there. The momentum is kept up with the title track which would have fit perfectly in Afterlife and once again the chorus is phenomenal. Revelation starts out slow with the guitar chords but then the rest of the band jumps in and what really grabs my attention is the keyboard melody line in the beginning. Vengeance is one of the songs that shows the new direction that is found in this album. The melody and solo at the beginning distinguish the song from the rest of the album. The guitars solos are fast, melodic and just extremely cool. Speaking of solos my favorite one is found in Underworld, a slower paced song, that starts at 3:02. Faceless God is another slower paced song and I really enjoy the rhythm and pace during the entire song especially during the verses.
Shadowland is a worthy follow-up to Afterlife and continues to prove that Nocturnal Rites is a band that should be heard.. At this point, I wouldnt even categorize them as a power metal band, that would be an insult to Nocturnal Rites. They are heavy, they are melodic, and they are metal!
Century Media Website
Nocturnal Rites Official Website
