nocturnal

Nocturnal Rites 'Tales Of Mystery And Imagination'
Century Media , 1998
Lord Pale :
Nocturnal Rites' debut album follows the power metal resurgence headed by Hammerfall , although unlike Hammerfall Nocturnal Rites actually write some good songs . Hailing from Sweden , the music sits a nice simplistic rocky atmosphere with a few keyboard embelishments and relies on catchy chorus' and pre chorus' . Although inherently cheesy , Tales Of Mystery And Imagination does manage to put out a few above avergae tracks and alot that are worth listening to , but by the same token it is not free of fillers by any means . Lyrically it is the usual power metal fantasy based scenarios as the title of the album sugguests with song titles like 'Warrior's Return' and 'Dark Secret' . The vocalist is interesting although not overly talented ( he can't hold a note for very long , and often just cuts them off ) and thusly there aren't any big powerful moments to speak of , but he does an admirable job for the material concerned . Fairly generic , without many surprises and an occasional nod to Maiden riffery , but fairly competent and entertaining at the same time .
Favourite Tracks - Eye Of The Demon , Ring Of Steel , The Vision
Mark - 6/10

Nocturnal Rites 'The Sacred Talisman'
Century Media , 1999
Lord Pale :
Nocturnal Rites' songwriting has improved vastly on their second album 'The Sacred Talisman' and they have recruited a full time keyboard player for this release . The fillers and cheesy tracks are still here but less abundant , and the good tracks are really good ! Adding elements like a small choir section to tracks like 'The Iron Force' seems like a rather small effort but it really pays off . The music is a little quicker this time around and the vocals are slightly better than before seeing vocalist Anders even holding notes in some places . The Sacred Talisman flows alot smoother and seems like a more confident album for the Swedes . 'The Legend Lives On' reminds of the Manowar classic 'Defender' with its slow build up and focus of passing on the flame from father to son . Lyrically , the band still focus on the usual cheese of the genre with tracks like 'Eternity Holds' and 'The King's Command' and some good tracks are ruined by truely shameful 'name of the song' chorus' ( see 'Unholy Powers' ) . Overall a much more proficent album on all fronts , and a decent entry to maybe gain the band a little bit of status .
Favourite Tracks - The Iron Force , The Legend Lives On , Hold On To The Flame
Mark - 8/10

Nocturnal Rites �Afterlife�
Century Media , 2000
Lord Pale :
Afterlife presents a new chapter in the development of Nocturnal Rites� sound . Gone are the fantasy elements of the previous two releases , replaced instead by a slower , heavier , and far less pompous �happy� sound . Also gone are the leather pants squeals of the original vocalist Anders Zackrisson , replaced by the gruffer and more abrasive vocals of Jonny Lindkvist . Some immediate references to the bands new sound are Sentenced thanks to the gruffer vocals and some of the riffs ( see �Wake Up Dead� ) , and Jag Panzer in the more ballsy and heavier tracks like �Hellenium� . It is disappointing to note that with the vast change of direction , the band forgot to change its cover artist , and Afterlife sports another naff cartoon like depiction , this time of a semi naked female sci-fi like scene . Fans of the bands earlier works should take note before making a decision to purchase Afterlife as it shares very little in common with its predecessors apart from the occasional galloping melodic riffs and basic song structures , see �The Devils Child� . Afterlife�s lyrics delve into some more interesting areas than they have before such as genetic warfare , and Egyptian mythology offering a new take on the powermetal scene for the band . Overall both satisfying and disappointing .
Favourite Tracks � Afterlife , Genetic Distortion Sequence , Temple Of The Dead
Mark � 7/10