Nightrage Nightrage

Reincarnation of At The Gates... maybe. Or at least close to it.I mean hardly anything can possibly compare to the brilliance of Terminal Spirit Disease-era ATG. This is a new super group featuring Tomas Lindberg (ex-At The Gates in addition to lots of other projects) as well as Tom Englund of Evergrey, both meandering the mic throughout this soon to be classic journey. And if that wasn’t enough, Nightrage also features Per Jensen of The Haunted on drums. "Sweet Vengeance" is exactly what every At The Gates fan has been waiting for since the break-up of quite possibly the single most influential melodic metal band in history. There is a little bit of everything on this record, even acoustic passages and clean singing provided by Englund. Quite honestly, this record is relentless, with each track getting closer and closer to greatness. The groove is what gets me totally enveloped in "Sweet Vengeance." Picture a hardcore band playing melodic metal but keeping everything metal. It’s hard to really explain on paper, but the best way to describe the sound is Darkest Hour’s “Hidden Hands of Sadist Nation” with much stronger and punchier production. Not only the groove, but the atmosphere is another major high-point of this album. It is deeply felt on “Elusive Emotion,” with the guitar melodies stirring up the darkest aspects of this album. By far the album’s premier song comes in the form of “Macabre Apparition.” Closes in aura to Arch Enemy’s “Wage of Sin,” the track will please any fan of the "new era" of melodic metal. The paralyzing breakdown midway through is quite impressive as well. There really isn't much that could have been done to perfect this album any more than it already is. The only thing that could’ve been incorporated a bit more is Englund’s clean vocal singing... there’s not nearly enough to satisfy my craving. Bottom Line: As stated earlier, this is exactly every fan of melodic metal’s dream album. It showcases two of metal’s finest vocalists and a drummer that many consider one of the genre’s best. Don't let this album slip past you.