NIGHTFALL
Children of Eve
Season Of Mist
For the better part of 30 years, NIGHTFALL has largely played second and even third fiddle in the Greek metal pantheon to SEPTICFLESH and ROTTING CHRIST. And I say that with no disrespect intended.
SEPTICFLESH and ROTTING CHRIST have been able to take advantage of comparative stabilityand continuity to keep moving forward, tour consistently on a global basisand participate in high-profile special projects (performing with orchestras and such) - or, as in the case of ROTTING CHRIST founders Sakis and Themis Tolis, have a prehistoric sea creature named after them - that have enhanced their respective statures over the long haul. The long haul for NIGHTFALL, however, has proven more of a struggle.
Lineup churn has left frontman and sometimes bassist Efthimis Karadimas as the lone original member. Add several hiatuses and sporadic touring - indeed, for long stretches, none at all - and progress has been tough to maintain for NIGHTFALL, even with its legacy as a pioneering force in Hellenic metal, notability as the first Greek metal band to sign an international record deal and a two-album stint with Metal Blade Records.
But if good things come to those who wait, then it would seem NIGHTFALL's time is coming due. The core lineup that included prodigal guitarist Kostas Kyriakopoulos (who had played bass for the band in 2004-05) and drummer Fotis Benardo (ex-of SEPTICFLESH) from 2021's dark, acerbic "comeback" album At Night We Prey remains - with bassist Vasiliki Biza coming onboard and second guitarist Michalis Galiatsos leaving in the interim. And together, the quartet has produced NIGHTFALL's most accomplished work yet with Children of Eve.
At Night We Prey marked both a return to blackened death metal form and the start of new era for NIGHTFALL, as it reverted to its old logo and utilized the new/returning blood to inject more urgency and ferocity into the music after the gothier, more cinematic Cassiopeia from 2013. Children of Eve, the band's 11th studio album, builds on that momentum - and then some.
It's a best-of-both-worlds proposition that brings together the grandiosity that typified Cassiopeia with the aggression, heft and venom that made We Prey so potent. And it is presented in truly monumental fashion.
In the press materials, Karadimas notes that "the sound is massive. The choruses are huge". And that's not mere PR hyperbole. From Kyriakopoulos' crashing riffs and ample hooks to the assertive gallop of Benardo's drumming and the anthemic swells and melancholy/manic back and forth of the material - all topped by the formidable bellow and growl vocals of Karadimas - Children of Eve is a genuine epic in every sense.
I'd venture to say this is NIGHTFALL's best sounding album, with the production team at Benardo's Devasoundz Studios providing not only heaviosity but clarity and space for the instruments to breathe instead of simply opting formax power. There is plenty of power to go around here as it is.
The thunderous opener "I Hate", full-on blackened burners like the super-riffy "The Cannibal" and "The Traders Of Anathema", and chunky, turbulent "Lurking" rival BEHEMOTH with their vehemence and scorn. The sometimes somber, "Inside My Head", "For The Expelled Ones" and "With Outlandish Desire To Disobey" offer more walk/run dynamics and pronounced melodies that are sometimes pretty darn catchy in gruff, AMON AMARTH-like fashion. "The Makhaira Of The Deceiver" and "Christian Svengali" end things on a fittingly dramatic note.
Yet Children of Eve never feels like the band is laying it on too thick. The standard "epic" accoutrements or window dressing are mostly built in - occasional, fleeting female vocal accompaniments, choir-like choruses, subtle keyboard flourishes - rather than slathered on. Here, they add character instead of causing distraction - or inviting bloat - and the 10 tracks are doled out in an efficient, effective 43 minutes that may actually leave you wanting more.
4.5 Out Of 5.0
