Keep Metal!

8 a.m. Just woke up and I'm here on my laptop chatting. But that's not what the post is about. It is about what's on my playlist. Nocturnal Rites album New World Messiah.


The album came out in 2004. I didn't know the band at that time. I just started to listen to them. They are power metal, but they are different to the others. According to wikipedia, the band had only 5 members when the album was recorded.

• Jonny Lindkvist - Vocals
• Nils Norberg - Lead & Rhythm Guitar
• Fredrik Mannberg - Guitar
• Nils Eriksson - Bass
• Owe Lingvall - Drums

The thing that surprised me was the lack of keyboards, which is very very common in power metal. Nocturnal Rites does have keyboards though, but its not over used, fortunately. Actually, I dont really like bands that use a lot of keyboards. I prefer bands that use keyboards with a lot of moderation (except for Children of Bodom).

Power metal is known for great guitar playing. I usually find that a lot of power metal bands concentrate on solos and tend to forget the riffs (just like I did when I started guitar). Nocturnal Rites has to be one of the few power metal bands to give so many great riffs. I really loved their riffs and their rhythms. Not to forget, their solo are simply awesome. Never off key and very creative. I am guessing there's a lot of string skipping in there.

I'm no drummer but the drums on this album is great. Its like the guy is a nuclear plant. How the hell can he drum like that?? Its like he'll never get tired. The drums sound good also. There are a lot of bands where the drums sound like sh!t nowadays.

One thing that I liked about Nocturnal Rites' music is that the bass guitar fattens the sound. Its like the bass notes has no timbre. Its just a low sound. It may not be appreciated by a lot of people, but to me this goes well with the music of Nocturnal Rites.

Rise Avalon, From the veil of mystery... Jonny's voice is awesome on this album. The thing that really makes Nocturnal Rites different from other power metal bands is the vocals. The singer does not over use falsettos. He uses his full voice a lot of times actually. This actually shows his wide vocal range and great control. I really liked his singing on this album. And its surely better on the more recent albums.

Power metal addicts may not really like this album but, all in all this is a must have album. So go get it.

Buy Nocturnal Rites - New World Messiah material