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August 28, 2008 |
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01. Spiral
02. Reconcile
03. Death-like Silence
04. A Condemned Club
05. Scars Of The Past
06. De-fame
07. Scathing
08. Surge Of Pity
09. Encircle
10. Spiritual Impulse
11. A New Disease Is Born (Instrumental)
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The post-Tomas Lindberg era of NIGHTRAGE has begun in the form of album #3, "A New Disease Is Born". Understandably so, there will be some mixed feelings surrounding this release, largely due to Lindberg's absence, but you might be surprised at how good this album actually is. There is a slight shift in sound, leaning towards the melodic side of things here and there - more so than on previous efforts (2003's "Sweet Revenge" and 2005's "Descent Into Chaos") - but the ferocity is still very prevalent, and them some. "A New Disease Is Born" also marks a new era on the label front as NIGHTRAGE have jumped ship from Century Media over to fast-rising Lifeforce Records.
Guitarist/mainman Marios Iliopoulos delivers some unbelievable guitar work in every corner of this album, which carries the majority of the weight from track to track. Take for instance the scorching opener "Spiral" or "Scars Of The Past" - if you're not slamming your head against the wall you're obviously deaf! Catchy rhythm, crunchy riffs, sky-soaring solos, pounding skins... there is absolutely no shortage here. Musically, NIGHTRAGE have never sounded this good.
So what about the vocals? New frontman Jimmie Strimell brings a new dimension to the band. His style blends elements of Euro-type Death Metal growling, aggressive screaming and clean-style vocals, which proves to be quite a diverse range (see "Reconcile" as a prime example). And believe it or not, it fits well with NIGHTRAGE's music. The good news is that he never makes any apparent attempt to copy Lindberg, despite the similar "screaming" sound - you know, the way MANY vocalists in this genre sound like these days. Besides, Lindberg is irreplaceable - period! Strimell performs quite well overall, but really shines in tracks like "Spiral", "Death-like Silence" and "De-fame".
Even without Lindberg, "A New Disease Is Born" proves to be a pretty solid release. It was produced and mixed by Jacob Hansen (MERCENARY, HATESPHERE, RAUNCHY), so it's tagged with high-quality sound for sure. The only real pot hole here is the repetitive nature that plagues many Metal albums these days, and this one succumbs to that in a few instances. But hey, it just goes with the territory. What's most important is NIGHTRAGE have opted to move forward in their career, and with "A New Disease Is Born", they've made a step in the right direction.
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