Just in case you happened to lose count,
Nocturnal Rites helpfully named the eighth album of their near-two-decade career
The 8th Sin, as if their resilience over so many years and releases were a true badge of a honor, defying any less faithful, enduring, or fair-weather power
metal bands out there. More importantly, they put their money where their pride is by delivering one of their best sets of economical power
metal yet. Heck, perfectly coiffed singles like
"Call out to the World," "Never Again," "Tell Me" and
"Leave Me Alone" positively confirm their status as the
Bon Jovi of Swedish power
metal -- simply imagine the New Jersey bunch with
Yngwie Malmsteen on guitar, and you won't be far off the mark. That relative economy does give way to a few small embellishments like the layered synthesizers of
"Not the Only," and even a few shocking
techno accents on
"Strong Enough," but thanks to the gritty honesty of
Jonny Lindkvist's vocals,
Nocturnal Rites generally sidestep the trying, hopeless pomposity displayed by much of their
Euro-metal brethren. OK, they do succumb to it just a little on the
Baroque dramatics of
"Till I Come Alive" and, depending on one's point of view, the stark of sound and name
"Me" (comprised merely of vocals and piano), but both of these are just exceptions, not the rule. And in a genre uniformly blessed and cursed with wild excess, its
Nocturnal Rites' ability to exert some measure of control and songwriting focus which sets them apart, paving the way for many more albums and years yet to come. [A Japanese version was released with a bonus track.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
![Leviathan [Blue & White Vinyl]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0781676493319_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Leviathan [Blue & White Vinyl]")
