Review by Stephen Pedicino
Nightrage is simply a badass name. I thought it was six years ago, and I still do today. I mean, who wouldn’t think of naming their canine after this European metal outfit? Alrighty, Nightrage horded praise for their debut, Sweet Vengeance, in 2003 and since then has managed to produce respectable albums while enduring an array of line-up changes. The only remaining original member is guitarist Marios Iliopoulos. Like a disgruntled, long-standing grocery store manager, he’s seen employees come and go. A lot of guys wouldn’t have to drive to continue, but in true metal fashion, he has. His perseverance has given us a yet another respectable album in this band’s discography, Wearing A Martyr’s Crown.
“Shed the Blood” jaggedly opens with an energy that lets you know exactly what you’re getting into; crisp and melodic death metal. Staying true to their style with crunchy guitars and fast drumming, Nightrage flow in a modernized Gothenburg stream. No surprises there. “Collision of Fate” shifts it up a gear. The song has some good parts but they don’t feel smoothly integrated. They just kind of succeed each with noticeable seams in between, showing an underlying lack of cohesion. You’ll notice this here and there on the cd.
This is vocalist Antony Hämäläinen’s debut with Nightrage. His clarity and range leave some room for improvement but he does have power. The axe-work and drumming are just as expected from this genre; upbeat and semi-predictable at times. But that’s not to say this cd lacks ingenuity. Olof Mörck and Marios Iliopoulos scratch their strings more than adequately and will excite you with some nifty solos along the way. Johan Nunez on drums competently paces himself with the rhythm of each song and fills the gaps where need be. Although many songs have the same feel (somewhat due to the production), Nightrage explore a decent variety of structures and speeds within the confines of their genre.
The title track is a ballsy little headbanger and one of the sharpest off Wearing A Martyr’s Crown. Consider it Trivium with greater testosterone. Swift, charismatic leads churn and subsequently fold into the acoustic, clean vocal interlude without sounding choppy or forced. Very well structured. Some of the acoustic tendencies on the album don’t seem to have a real purpose, but here they fit appropriately. The meat of the album is moderately tactful. Nightrage don’t undergo much deviation with Wearing A Martyr’s Crown. There are subtle progressive touches which you’ll find on tracks like “Futile Tears,” “Among Wolves,” or “Sting of Remorse,” but they’re nothing overly complicated. The lyrical motif in centered around despair and life frustrations. They’re impressively well-written and meaningful.
After the enjoyably scathing “Failure of All Human Emotions,” our mellow closer steps in to shut things down. “Sting of Remorse” is my favorite track off the album and incidentally an instrumental piece. The wise acoustic work and spacey keyboards are charged with volts of emotion. After about 1:45 the percussion and guitars enter and take control. This track is filled with ambitious leads and solos, playfully giving the listener much to enjoy. A nice, artistic way to end the album…
This cd is a grower for me. The type you’ll need to listen to multiple times before fully appreciating. It’s better to have a large appetite for Nightrage before popping it in. I know few people have such patience, so I can’t recommend Wearing A Martyr’s Crown to just any headbanger. It has it’s ‘in-your-face’ moments and it’s contemplative moments. Take it as you wish. The sprinkled acoustic guitars break up the Gothenburg homogeneity to an extent, but most songs are clearly derived from the same recipe. As mentioned, Marios Iliopoulos is the only remaining original member, so I’m obliged to give him credit for perseverance. What began as a collective supergroup of musicians has transformed into a series of transient line-ups. If this band can solidify a roster, they may cross the threshold from good to great, a caliber not attained since Sweet Vengeance. But for now, let’s enjoy their current product. If you want some good melodic death metal, check this album out.