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NIGHTGLOW
Orpheus

Bakerteam (2014)
Rating: 5/10

Nightglow is an Italian band that has existed in some form since 1998; initially as High Voltage, then as Slender before an agreement was put on the more atmosphere moniker of Nightglow in 2003.

Under their present name, Nightglow released two demos – Introduction (2004) and Metanderthal (2007) – but it wasn’t until 2013 before a full-length debut would be issued under the title of We Rise. For me, the debut platter was a reasonable effort, but what surprised me was the energy and overall weight, and with Orpheus the quintet has continued that theme by belting out another set of raucous tunes.

I think the main quality of Orpheus – which should make Nightglow appeal to a wider audience – is their effortless ability to mix raging traditional metal with contemporary sprigs, but also to then up the ante and unexpectedly provide a deadly dose of fizzing thrash metal.

Having said that, there are moments on this opus when the band seems to be confused as to what it wants to be exactly? For example, the title track initially starts and ends as a molten thrash metal pounder featuring charging riffs and rampant drums from percussive gunslinger Riskio, but suddenly we’re hit with an all too contemporary rush of grating melody where for me the vocals seem to struggle with that clearer style.

Tinged with a Gothic polish, ‘Orpheus’ becomes even more watered down by the introduction of a female vocal which tends to drift the track into Evanescence territory, while in other segments the track has that “metalcore” style of growling, all the while being backed by some fantastic leads, so it’s a very much confusing tune.

‘Lead Me’ is another battering ram of sizzling thrash; both guitarists – Moret and Juls – bring out the best in each other with that slamming groove, but I’m just not one for that combination of clearer vocal prowess and raspier snarls. In fact, frontman Abba has a far greater talent when resorting to a straight up power metal croon which thankfully takes the band away from that polished and almost overtly modern premise.

The twin guitar attack is certainly the most powerful quality of the record, especially on the intense ‘Psychotropic’, but to call it strictly thrash metal would be incorrect because tracks such as ‘Bloodway’ have that lean toward groove-based power metal, only to become let down again by the dual vocal yowls.

Orpheus is an album of too much indifference, and so while catchy with nearly every cut it’s a record that suffers badly from its ever-changing vocal grates which become extremely annoying and predictable in spite of the band trying to fuse styles. I don’t see Nightglow making any impact whatsoever on the scene, because their sound is just all too bland and grating at times. With each song becoming a predictable mess that blurs into the next, only the mid-tempo ‘Stay With Me’, which comes bereft of the screaming, showcases any notable diversity away from the theme.

Neil Arnold

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