NOCTURNAL RITES - Shadowland CD

After a rather surprising reinvention in their previous effort “Afterlife”, Sweden’s pioneering power metal act returned with a more melodic release in “Shadowland”. The mystical imagery on the album underscores that NR has taken the course back towards the more melodic side of their past, although they have kept the brutal and heavy guitar sound that first surfaced on the last release. The result is a more powerful brand of power metal that stands out amongst the crowd of Helloween and Judas Priest influenced bands.