Nocturnal Rites is a band that cannot be considered very original, but what they do they do VERY well. They play an awesome blend of 80's classic Heavy Metal with today's Power Metal sound and touches. The mix is a wave of great melodic and heavy songs that sound refreshing as the mix in between these two worlds has found the just the perfect balance with this band.

The vocals is one of the things that set aside this band from the plethoria of True Metal wannabe's that simply either sound like nothing or sound so much like everything else without ever developping or for the matter of fact being true to a style. How many Power Metal bands have medium to mediocre vocals ? Nocturnal Rites doesn't suffer from this symptom, first and foremost this band display an array of talent to be reckoned with. Songs are polished, and vocal shines and transcend the music played by its members to another level. I myself always anticipate new albums from Nocturnal Rites cause I know I can count on them to deliver kick ass songs albums after albums. Just like bands like Running Wild or Grave Digger, Nocturnal Rites are very consistent in their sound. Some may say its repetitive, and I would understand their points of view, but to me delivering albums filled with killer songs, even if they seem to sound similar, is a gift. Even the aforementionned band release many so-so albums, and Nocturnal Rites has always managed to release quality releases and this quality is also very scarse in the Power Metal world. Honnestly I truly wished Hammerfall would have not try to evolve past their second album, cause everything else since there has been on the steady decline. Anyway, about the 8th Sin, Nocturnal Rites' 8th full length album : like its predecessor(s), its a great Power Metal album that contains everything you'd expect from the band, stellar vocals, great guitar work, in both the riffing or solo / melodic part, majestic arrangements, and overall very catchy songs. The album is filled with jewels, like the opener song Call Out To The World or the out of this world foruth track : Tell Me. Songs are varied, while still keeping true to the usual Nocturnal Rites tradition. Songs like Tell Me are so explosively entertaining, so vibrant and so catchy, that they make you want to get on your feet, play hair guitar while frenetically headbanging to its raging desctructive cubic riffs and have your joy be released to the sound of the awesome chorus ! Its the kind of song I can put on repeat for hours ! Everything in this song is just plain perfect. Its catchy, its powerful, its full of emotions and its heavy to the bones ! Hats off for one of the best Noctural Rites song ever wrote. Like many of the previous albums, there is no boring moment trhoughout the whole disc, instead its filled with killer songs from beginning to end. Take the fast catchy Not Like You, or the Powerfully and majesticaly moody Leave Me Alone. Its been a while since I listened to such a consistent killer album with panache like the 8th Sin ! And the album goes on, delivering 10 killer songs from beginning to end. Even the Power Ballad Till I Come Alive, or the very simple yet emotional ballad Me are great songs.

If you like Heavy / Power Metal with great vocals and you don't know this band yet, then I suggest you check them out soon; and this 8th Sin is as good place as any to start listening to them ! I once wondered what my brother found in this band that made his vibrate so much; and it took me a long while to get over my favorite album of theirs, The Sacred Talisman, and actually acknowledge their edgier, heavier new style, but today (and for a while now :) ) I totally understand. This band is one of the rarest band where you can simply buy anything they release without ever being disappointed in the material contained in the album. Nocturnal Rites is one of these bands, a highly underrated band too if you ask me. Its like Manticora, they're both awesome bands but none has yet gotten the recognition and exposure they deserve. Oh well, at least us fans are there to support them and raise our hands in the air, chanting proudly at concerts and showing how much we appreciate how their music touches us. Long live Heavy Metal and long live Nocturnal Rites !