New World Messiah
[Century Media]

In my mind, Nocturnal Rites separated themselves from the crowded power metal genre with the album Afterlife. That album marked the debut of Jonny Lindqvist as the singer replacing Anders Zackrisson and thankfully he took his "wisions" away with him. Anders was just not a very good singer and it would annoy me that every "v" he pronounced sounded like a "w". Plus, the music prior to Afterlife was generic power metal and Nocturnal Rites was just another band in a crowded field.

However, with Afterlife the band now had a confident, unique, rough and powerful singer and the music was heavier and darker. It really was a great surprise to hear that album and Shadowland was a nice follow-up that combined some of the old melodic elements of the band with their current crunchy sound. Shadowland was a very strong and enjoyable album but I didn't enjoy it as much as Afterlife. Nevertheless, I still looked forward to their latest release New World Messiah and what surprises Nocturnal Rites could bring this time around.

New World Messiah follows in the footsteps of Shadowland in that the band plays it safe and by the numbers while employing some unique elements here and there. Songs like "Avalon", "Break Away" and "One Nation" are your typical power metal fare in which they are up-tempo, filled with double bass drumming, catchy choruses and plenty of riffs and solos. "New World Messiah" and "End of Days" may be similar in style but they stand out more because they are just more bombastic, catchier and stronger songs. I dare anybody not to sing along to the chorus of "End of Days". Speaking of singing along, the clichéd but extremely addictive anthems of "The Flame Will Never Die" and "Against the World" should have you screaming along with Jonny. One of the songs that did differ from the rest was "Egyptica" because eastern influences handled by the guitars are incorporated into the sound, providing a new dimension for Nocturnal Rites and the end result is that this song has a more epic feeling. I do wish that they would not be so obvious in the title though because in a way the surprise of hearing a song like this for the first time is diminished.

Just like its predecessor New World Messiah really doesn't break a lot of new ground for Nocturnal Rites but they still have managed to come out with a highly addictive and enjoyable album. Yes, at its foundation it is standard power metal but compared to other bands in the genre their heavier sound, strong singing and creative songwriting make them stand out.