Nightfall confirms its return.
Still signed to Season of Mist, Efthimis Karadimas (vocals/bass, The Slayerking), Kostas Kyriakopoulos (guitar, The Slayerking), Fotis Benardo (drums, Nightrage, ex-Necromantia, ex-Septicflesh…) and Vasiliki Biza (bass) offer us their eleventh album, Children of Eve.
The album kicks off in anguish with the opening moments of I Hate, a virulent declaration where the first signs of aggression quickly become anchored in an Old School touch with melodious Gothic influences. The backing vocals reinforce the majestic side of the track, which also adopts orchestrations in addition to its imposing violence, before making it more raw on The Cannibal, borrowing from Black/Thrash while retaining the bloody harmonics. The tortured solo fits the furious atmosphere perfectly, before returning to an assumed but slightly slower madness on Lurking, which couples occult tones with laughter or unexpected, devastating passages. Still, the band allows us a moment’s respite before the final chorus, then returns to hypnotic dissonance to give heavy Doom tinges to Inside My Head, the next track where the sound is much more soaring, but which doesn’t forget its waves of fury thanks to jerky, catchy patterns. Seeking Revenge quickly takes over with its intriguing introduction, followed by female vocals and simple riffs, before we’re confronted with a solid rhythm section where the leads once again mesmerize us, coupling perfectly with groovy percussion before giving way to For The Expelled Ones, where the musicians develop more ominous tones. The vocalist’s roar darkens the already powerful riffs, then The Traders Of Anathema rushes us at full speed into its torrent of violence, with regular acceleration that alternates between heaviness, suffocating tones and ferocious double pedals. With Outlandish Desire To Disobey begins with new female vocals, but also a mystical slowness where the band develops imposing tones to welcome the duet with Efthimis, but the sound knows perfectly when and how to ignite to turn into a real hurricane before joining the melancholic The Makhaira Of The Deceiver. Again, the sound doesn’t hesitate to burst into flames to surprise us, before returning to its epic course, especially on the majestic final that leads into Christian Svengali, where the band’s roots express themselves one last time to magnify an already massive tone that accompanies the vocalist’s screams and other orchestrations, closing the album with palpable intensity.
Since their rebirth, Nightfall have always proved formidable, whether on album or live, testifying to their determination to pursue their career in the best possible way. With Children of Eve, they once again prove their strength and determination.
95/100