Are you a fan of Arch Enemy and wish you could find more bands that had that classic melodic death sound to listen to? Yes? Then read further…
Sweden’s Nightrage delivers a high quality, tightly melodic journey with their eighth studio record, Wolf to Man. Yes, it does remind you an awful lot of Arch Enemy, but without the pretentiousness in the songwriting and without any divas on lead vocals or in the manager’s office.
Look, all comparisons aside this is an incredibly catchy record. I love the vocals, and the bass sounds great. The double lead guitars are masterfully done and recorded well. Nightrage really shows their maturity and experience on this record and this makes it so enjoyable from start to finish.
“Arm Aim Kill” has some intense riffing and some great work on the cymbals at the hands of drummer Dino George Stamoglou. The lead work on this track two minutes in provides the listener with yet another reason to latch on to the song. Similarly, “Disconnecting the Dots” provides similar riffage in more subdued atmosphere. Twin leads, however, still enter in the mix and really demonstrate the attention to detail that Wolf to Man has put into their songs. This detail work is also present in cuts like “The Damned.”
My favorite tracks are “Wolf to Man,” and “Embrace the Nightrage” given their lush Swedish melodic sound. “God Forbid” features some brilliant axe work by both Marios Iliopoulous and Magnus Soderman with bold twin leads. Francisco Escalona’s bass also has an incredible tone on this particular track. This all, perhaps, making it my favorite song on the record, but fans of this genre are going to appreciate all tracks.
Wolf to Man is available now via Despotz Records (pre-order the physical copy here, which is scheduled to arrive on April 5th) If you love that classic Swedish melodic sound, this is absolutely for you.
