Band:	Night
Album:	High Tides - Distant Skies
Style:	Hard rock, Heavy metal
Release date:	September 2020

01. Shadow Gold
02. Burning Sky
03. Crimson Past
04. Galling In The Black
05. Running Away
06. Here On My Own
07. Lost In A Dream
08. Give Me To The Night
09. Under The Moonlight Sky

In 2017, I discovered Night by listening to their then newly released album Raft Of The World. The cover art of that album was so good it immediately piqued my interest, and to my pleasant surprise the music on it was excellent as well. It ended up being in my top 5 favourite albums of that year. Now, as you can see from the score that I've given to High Tides - Distant Skies, this album doesn't really live up to the excellence of the previous record. Let's discuss!

I'll begin with some of the positive aspects of this album. First of all, the lyrics are overall pretty solid; nothing mind-blowing, but consistent throughout the whole record. The production is another big plus point. Just like with the previous album, they've managed to bring a raw and classic feel to it. It's modern, but clearly inspired by releases from the '70s and '80s. Guitars have grit to them, bass and vocals have the necessary clarity in the mix, and the drums have punch to them.

High Tides - Distant Skies starts off really strong and manages to pull you in right from the start. The opening track opens with some groovy drum work and a whirlwind of guitar riffs - really good stuff! And the next couple of songs are also pretty strong. Around the halfway point, however, this album seems to run out of steam a bit. I feel like the songs on the second half of this record (apart from "Under The Moonlight") just aren't as memorable as the ones on the first half. At this point you also start to hear more and more Ghost influences; "Lost In A Dream" in particular gives off major Ghost vibes. As a result, songs like these feel a bit less unique and lose a bit of that Night magic.

Now, I want to stress that the second half of this record isn't necessarily bad or anything; it just feels like the band was set to autopilot. It's perfectly enjoyable, but it doesn't stick as much. Also, while I feel like the music itself is really well-performed throughout the whole album, I did find the vocals to be inconsistent from time to time. Not from a technical point, but on certain tracks they simply lack some energy and intensity - at least, the intensity I've come to expect from them with their previous album.

To conclude:
High Tides - Distant Skies definitely has its moments, and this is an enjoyable listen for people who like late-'70s and early-'80s heavy metal. Unfortunately, it isn't as consistent as Night's previous album, and as a result I'm afraid it will always (for me at least) live in the shadow of its predecessor. Basically, what I'm trying to say is go give Raft Of The World a listen. It's really good.