Nocturnal Rites - Shadowland (2002/Century Media)
Rating - 8.4

Faceless God--RealAudio

The band's second offering with vocalist Jonny Lindkvist, and the strong sounds and improvement continue. There is once again a great distortion/mix to be found, in the Dream Evil, Metalium, and Gamma Ray vein. A great end-disc pickup really pushes this one over the top, making it the current top spot of Nocturnal's catalog.
Almost every track stands out, with "Faceless God" showing dark and evil tendencies, "Birth of Chaos" being of the faster variety, and "The Watcher" having a nice grind and thud. "Invincible" is a strong, churning piece, with other highlights being "Never Die," "Eyes of the Dead," and the title track.
A good purchase for fans of the above-mentioned bands, along with heavier units such as Maiden, Rage, and so forth. Nocturnal Rites is settling into a niche of playing well-honed, well-executed European power metal.

TRACK LIST: Eyes of the Dead/Shadowland/Invincible/Revelation/Never Die/Underworld/Vengeance/Faceless God/Birth of Chaos/The Watcher

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