ALBUM REVIEW: Nightbearer – Ghosts Of A Darkness To Come

German chainsaw Death Metal division Nightbearer with their 2nd album, due for release via Testimony Records on June 24th. As a big fan of their debut LP, I am hoping this holds up just as well.

Gloomy riffs grind into life with that familiar Swedish Death Metal tone from the Boss HM-2 with ethereal leads before quickly dropping into a groove-laden bombardment of ferocity with blasting drums and butchering vocals ensuing just as abruptly. The injection of more melody since the last album is clear, bringing a more Gothenburg flare to their typically Stockholm sound. Shredding guitars showcase some soulful and skilful lead work while the rhythmic battery does not relent. Utilising a very strong production to convey the monolithic sounds of churning riffs and pummelling double-kicks, the vocals are also double-tracked in a few places here and there so across the board we have a very broad and dense sound which plays to Nightbearer’s strengths. The jumps from melody to savagery are regular but seamless, ensuring the bludgeoning brutality is not lost when some more diversity and complexity comes into the mix. Judging by the opening couple of tracks, this is going to be a very strong follow-up to the debut.

It is easy to notice the huge soloing and catastrophically heavy riffing, this band is very guitar-oriented but the drumming, bass and vocal deliver do not let the team down. The entirety of Nightbearer feels well-rehearsed and musically moves as a singular juggernaut of heaviness. If those lumbering slabs of rot that harken back to the more putrid realms of Death Metal’s dankest pits are what you came for, tracks like “Forever In Darkness” satiate those desires for pure carnage with its fist-pumping, chugging rhythms and blistering shreds that cave in the skull with ease. The record does seem to have a bit of something for everybody without feeling compromised, which I think will earn Nightbearer a legion of new fans, deservedly so. The sheer range of sounds and ideas presented is incredibly versatile but that’s only half the battle, the fact that they remain coherent gives us a strong album rather than a mess of misshapen ideas. These experiments have not failed, just given an extra dimension to this German horde.

Scathing, ripping and charging forward, each track feels fresh and yet flows from the last. Like a behemoth of all things Death Metal, Nightbearer do not stand still on a single idea and punish the listener with blows of pure brutality from many angles. This constant movement means that the records 52 minute running time isn’t a chore, but a pleasure. For a “swedeath” style album, this seems quite a long length compared to the typical 35-40 minute mark, but do not let that put you off as these guys will keep your attention throughout. “Where No Wind Ever Blows” takes us into almost symphonic Black Metal territory while somehow keeping the Death Metal core present, certainly an interesting track! Elements of doom come into some of the later parts which throwback to the opening tracks more gloomy first few moments, allowing the record to come full circle in preparation for the next listen, which you will want to do soon after.

Though I will admit, the more straightforward work on their debut is somewhat more to my personal taste, there is no denying the bands growth as songwriters and that this is a truly epic album. If you are puritan about Death Metal being solely old school, that remains the mainstay so the more modern twists do not spoil it. Definitely a strong slab of morbidity that I cannot see a reason to dislike for any fan of Death Metal. Some things may play it a little safe or feel more polished, but these are tiny criticism of a monumentally heavy and enjoyable record.