May

Nocturnal Rites - The 8th Sin

"ass-kickingly awesome in 1 or 2 song doses but the album as a whole ends up being too much icing and not enough cake."

Follow up:

7/10

1. "Call Out to the World" – 3:48
2. "Never Again" – 3:19 Watch the video!
3. "Not the Only" – 5:16
4. "Tell Me" – 4:13
5. "Not Like You" – 4:25
6. "Leave Me Alone" – 3:00
7. "Till I Come Alive" – 3:45
8. "Strong Enough" – 3:13
9. "Me" – 4:13
10. "Pain & Pleasure" – 3:53
11. "Fools Parade (Outro)" – 2:37

Nocturnal Rites have been around for a while. Their sound has evolved much over the years from a straight up Power Metal band to what they are now, a sort of rhythmic melodic metal band. Their most recent album "The 8th Sin" is quite amazing when you first pop it in but over the course of the album, you'll come to realize that listening to is like watching a summer blockbuster film: it's full of intense action and high energy that doesn't let up from beginning to end but unfortunately the entire range of the experience is fully taken in within the first few minutes or so.

The sound on this album can't be described in any other word but 'synthetic'. From the easily identifiable triggered drums to the guitar tone that sounds like it's compressed to hell and back then run through a gate to create that super choppy, pounding rhythm, everything about this album is very processed. I don't get an organic vibe from it in the slightest bit, not even on the ballad track as the vocals are way too high in the mix to be generally pleasant. The only place that it sounds genuine is near the middle of the final track, an instrumental called "Fool's Paradise". Mind you, it's not a bad sound, just...overdone in places.

Nocturnal Rites aren't breaking any new ground with the song structures on "The 8th Sin". Almost every song on here could have been the radio cut. The chord progressions and overall structures for the songs are largely the same, as are the vocal melodies. The lyrics are cliche and every song with the exception of one makes use of a chorus line to catch the ear when the hook kicks in. Normally a chorus line is a very catchy songwriting mechanic. But on "The 8th Sin" it's used so much that it loses its appeal. The keys do everything necessary to help create the "wall of sound" and don't stray out of the zone of accompaniment too much if at all.

The members of Nocturnal Rites are all proficient at their instruments. Each song contains an appropriately flashy solo, showcasing Fredrik Mannberg's chops. Owe Lingvall's drumming is usually quite interesting rhythmically and the studio session keyboardist is no slouch either but normally doesn't get much time to shine. Jonny Lindkvist is very good and has a nice range and pleasing timbre in his voice, accentuated by the aforementioned chorus line.

On the surface it would seem that Nocturnal Rites have given us everything that we could ask for in a metal album: catchy choruses, flashy solos, pounding drums, tight rhythms and a sappy ballad. As it turns out, there isn't much more BENEATH the surface. Nocturnal Rites show us all their tricks right at the start, leaving the listener with nothing to look forward to in repeated listenings that they haven't already heard before. "The 8th Sin" is an album full of "singles". It's ass-kickingly awesome in 1 or 2 song doses but the album as a whole ends up being too much icing and not enough cake.