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NIGHT
Night

Gaphals (2013)
Rating: 6/10

Sweden’s Night has been active since 2011 and after two singles I’m rather surprised to see a debut full-length album emerge. This self-titled ten-track effort is the sort of album that could have done with a bit more thought.

A majority of new bands today seem reliant on a few demos and maybe an EP before embarking on a fully-fledged career, so I’m guessing that Night felt confident enough in their material to produce this 44-minute record, but for me there’s just a feel of the lacklustre with this composition and it’s the sort of album that won’t cause any waves within the scene.

Night consists of four members, vocalist Burning Fire, who also takes up guitar duties, fellow axeman Midnight Proppen, bassist Highway Filip and drummer Linus Lightning. Silly names aside though, the whole look and feel of this debut album is one of slightly amateurish leanings, and the biggest negative here is the lack of sparkle, because literally every track plods along at similar tempo.

While Mr Burning Fire has a fair set of pipes he rarely displays any versatility and so the band seem to dwell in the minor leagues of traditional heavy metal, all too eager to ape the likes of Judas Priest and Dio, and sadly they seem rather settled in their stance. That’s not to say it’s a poor album, but it just lumbers without effect, reeking of low budget – although not quite reaching the rotten depths of fellow countrymen Tungsten Axe. Sure, it’s all pretty fluid with some nice solos, and the likes of ‘Fire And Steel’, ‘Gunpowder Treason’ and ‘Hang ’Em High’ are all worthy rockers, but it’s nothing more than denim- clad, beer-swilling archetype metal that at times borders on the embarrassing, such is its juvenile behaviour.

There are droves of bands currently trying to reinvent the wheel and while it’s all good fun and to be taken with a pinch of salt, time and time again it forces me to revert back to some of the original bands who gave us metal back in the day, because this sort of stuff really does pale in comparison. It’s clearly all tongue-in-cheek, but I don’t want metal to still be perceived as a Spinal Tap carry-on.

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal influence is certainly evident throughout, particularly on ‘Into the Night’, but I really feel these guys should have taken more time in releasing such a record, or maybe tested the waters with an EP or two, because after just a few listens I’m sure many of you will become rather tired by this predictable experience.

Neil Arnold

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