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By JEFF MAKI
“Metal with melody.” This is the tag given to this Swedish power metal band, which has been creating a mix of nostalgic and modern metal since the mid-'90s. Other than a few highlights, The 8th Sin sounds like a collection of stolen B-sides from a retired '80s metal band.
I have listened to a good deal of power metal, especially in the last few years, and the main thing that usual ruins a power metal album for me is the vocals. And I'm sorry to say that the lead vocals of Jonny Lindqvist are almost laughable on The 8th Sin. Just think of the movie Rock Star with Mark Waehlberg or even (gulp) Bon Jovi and you'll get it. Or remember all the Friday the 13th movies in the '80s, when you'd always hear some generic “metal” song in the background or over the credits? That sums up Nocturnal Rites.
All joking aside, if you can get past this, you'll find some outstanding guitar soloing, catchy choruses and futuristic keyboards. The keyboards are the best part of the album. They swirl about, backing the strong '80s riffs that come with each track. The rest is what you'd expect from an average power metal band. Nocturnal Rites obviously has great admiration for classic metal, to the extent that you feel like you've heard this album before. I hate to re-use the word generic because they are talented at what they do, but that's the right word here. Even the song titles are recycled '80s numbers: ”Never Again,” “Not Like You,” “Strong Enough”--you get the idea.
I'm not hating on power metal here at all. Sonata Arctica and Blind Guardian are freakin' amazing, along with countless other acts in the genre, but Nocturnal Rites' The 8th Sin doesn't amount to much compared to other recent releases in the genre. |
