Nocturnal Rites - Phoenix Review

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Well, I have to say I'm disappointed by this album. Probably the biggest problem for me is that the mixing sounds like a tube sausage. Ninety percent of this album is just a wall of noise with super rich guitar and bass sound, some background synth, and a string orchestra. Orden Ogan's Gunmen was guilty of the same thing. Interestingly, both bands released their new albums through AFM Records, so the super-compressed non-stop wall of noise could be something that's being encouraged by AFM. That type of mixing is fine for listening to one or two songs (basically radio music), but when you try to listen to the full album, you end up with ear fatigue. Also, almost all the songs seem cookie-cutter, following the same pattern, and the lyrics aren't anything special. I was looking forward to Phoenix because I've really liked Nocturnal Rite's other albums, but this seems like a step backwards to me. 

My Rating: 6 out of 10


Highlights:

Tasteful solos

Some nice riffs

Awesome vocals (Jonny Lindqvist killed it!)

Lowlights:

Tube sausage mixing

Cookie-cutter riffs and song structures throughout the album (most of the songs sounded similar to each other)

Fairly boring lyrics

Almost no style/songwriting diversity 

Favorite Songs:

Before We Waste Away

The Ghost Inside Me


More Info:

Nocturnal Rites Official Website

Nocturnal Rites Facebook

Nocturnal Rites Wikipedia

Nocturnal Rites Encyclopaedia Metallum 


Disclaimer: The views expressed in this review are expressly those of the author of this article and serve only to convey his opinion of the album in question, not to harm the band.

Comments

  1. A.J. SpaudeOctober 31, 2017 at 11:54 AM

    Follow me on Twitter @BPMetalReviews to stay updated on the latest reviews!

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