Nightfall 
                                                                Cassiopeia  Metal Blade  

Nightfall hail from Greece, they have been in existence in one form or another for over twenty years and have only really come to this reviewers attention recently, and I am so glad they did, this album is dark, moody, black metal, with symphonic overtones aplenty and gets into your consciousness, almost on the first spin. 

The album has so many highlights and few, if any lowlights.  It’s an album of eleven tracks that kind of mould into each other and keeping you transfixed throughout.  The opener 'Phaethon' is slow and moody, in many ways dark, heavy, yet uplifting it kind of sets the tone throughout.   'Oberon & Titania' is very melodic, filled with doom and a sporadic, spine tingling piano dispersed throughout the track.  'Nightwatch' and the final heroic track 'Astropolis' for me, make this album a must have!

 

These three tracks are the strongest tracks, not only are they menacing the chilling deathly growls, twisting with the insanity of Satan’s chords, they thrill and amaze you. Other tracks like 'Hyperion' has oodles of atmospherics and delves into your very soul 'Akhenaton, the 9th Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty' is fast, tantalizing and fits nicely within the whole concept of the album.  

 

As mentioned earlier 'Astropolis' is an epic track to finish off a magnificent offering from these Greek Metallers, full of guttural, heavy, deep and doom laden riffs the whole album is pretty damn awesome.  Nightfall draw on their Greek heritage 'Cassiopeia' is a God in Greek Mythology, and like her, the album is strong and grabs your attention. 

At times some of the tracks will strike you as gloomy, but once you have given this album a few spins it will grab you and make you want to listen again and again, in fact the more you listen the more you appreciate it and will end up loving it. 

 

This is the bands second release on Metal Blade and does not disappoint in the slightest.  So if Melodic symphonic metal, with a death metal, Gothic twist is your thing Cassiopeia will please you and leave you wanting more!

 

Review by: Seb Di Gatto

 

Tracklisting:

1. Phaethon
2. Oberon & Titania
3. Colonize Cultures
4. The Nightwatch
5. Stellar Parallax
6. Hubris
7. The Reptile Gods
8. Hyperion
9. Akhenton the 9th Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty
10. The Sand Reckoner
11. Astropolis