Band:	Nocturnal Rites
Album:	New World Messiah
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	March 2004

01. New World Messiah
02. Against The World
03. Avalon
04. Awakening
05. Egyptica
06. Break Away
07. End Of Days
08. The Flame Will Never Die
09. One Nation
10. Nightmare

When it comes to Heavy Metal, there is one band that I always had as my favourite, I know many say Power Metal, and I'm not saying against you, even if I choose to call it Heavy Metal.
It's Nocturnal Rites I'm talking about, and now they are about to release their sixth album since 1995.
Named "New World Messiah" and it's coming as a Messiah, believe me.

For you that know them, you know that Nocturnal releasing hard and intense albums and "New World Messiah" is not exception.
Their last one, "Shadowland" wasn't as hard as "Afterlife" but that is "New World Messiah", it's in the same spirit as "Afterlife" but in use of less keyboards since the keyboarder have left the band.
But what they lost there, in keyboards, they give back to us in wonderful guitar riffs.

"New World Messiah" is the third release with Jonny Lindkvist on vocals, and ever since he joined the band, they have started to evolve to a harder band, and many have said that they have become more of a Power Metal band after Jonny joined, and maybe they are right, but I like Nocturnal the way they are now.
But I don't call them Power, I use Heavy since I find their sound to hard and intense to be a Power band, but it's a matter of taste, how you want to categorize them.
The main point is as always, the music, and the music is so good.

The album rips of with the title track, a fast and heavy track, with a chorus that will get to you after a few spins, it's not the best track the first 3 or 4 times you listen to the album, but it's growing.
But it's what's follow that makes me love Nocturnal Rites as much as I do, "Against the World" might be the best song with them that I ever heard, maybe one of the best Heavy/Power songs ever.
The usual Nocturnal sounding guitars plays melodic riffs that are eating my mind.
And as soon Jonny starts to sing, the heaviness is maximum, and it's creeping in my skin.
But the best part is yet to come, the chorus, Oh my?. How could you do such a song?

After the second song, I'm in some kind of ecstasy, I don't see the world around clear in a few minutes, it's like entering a dreamworld, wait... Nocturnal Rites actually do that, "Avalon" is coming up next, but I can't judge the difference between reality and dream at the moment, so "Avalon" is passing by quite fast.
It's not a bad track, but it's not one of the best either, it's a usual Nocturnal song, the more Power Metal song of the album.

"Awakening" is next, a hard track where Jonny shows he unbelievable voice capacity, it's good, very good,
And the chorus is very good, both lyrical and musical, but it's not close to Top 3.
Later on, "Egyptica" is running, and it's that track I like less. The Egypt theme feels so boring and so usual, so no, this isn't so very good, even if the song is nice built, with vocals and instruments.
"Break Away" next, a good song, with a big doze heaviness and a good and catchy chorus where Jonny is deliver a vocal performance that's challenge the biggest singers. Overall the song isn't so very special and gets Ok.

The two songs that now follow, first "End of Days" and "The Flame Will Never Die" are two songs that, together with "Against the World" is the best on the album.
"End of Days" have a big doze of heaviness and the chorus once again shows what Nocturnal Rites can do, it's quite simple, but them way Jonny sings it, it's a masterpiece, a truly masterpiece.

"The Flame Will Never Die" is a majestic hymn, it's quite different from the rest of the album, but it's good as hell.
The starting riffs, together with the keyboard sound in the intro, is nice, and Jonny? Jesus Jonny, have can you sing like that? With so much feeling so much empathy.
I don't know what more to say, you have to hear it.

The following two, also last two, songs "One Nation" & "Nightmare" is good, more typical Nocturnal Rites, even is "One Nation" got a hard middle part and a quite nice chorus that's making it over the Ok stamp.
"Nightmare" has on part, and if they did more out of that part, it could have been the fourth and missing song for a 10.
It's the part, when the music get very dark and Jonny sings "No Sleep till Dawn" I'm talking about.
But it's nothing compare to the three tracks that makes this album. (As I said, a fourth song in the same class and a 10 would have been given).

With a crystal-clear production, heaviness that will make other Heavy Metal bands jealous (I have to price Owe Lingwall here, he must be one of the best drummer out there, fantastic work), songs that's better than most songs written in ages and a singer that beats most of his "Co-workers".
Nocturnal Rites is now worth their international (and national) breakthrough, and if it's not coming with "New World Messiah" it will never come and I will be very disappointed at out Metal scene.

Favourite Songs: "Against the World, "End of Days" & "The Flame Will Never Die" is not human.