Nightmare – Aeternam

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It’s wonderful when we have the chance to review a band with so much history as Nightmare, a band that has been around since 1979. Unfortunately, it’s a real pitty that I can’t say that I’ve met the band before because what I heard here is very promising. The way I see things bands that outlive so long have two options; to live in the past making the album every now and then or to go on modernizing their music. Of course both options have their consequences. While there are bands that are living pretty well from their glorious past, others suffer to keep up with the news in the Metal world. It’s really not easy to be a Metal band nowadays. Nor easy either to make a living from Metal music. But bands fight and struggle and never give up, never give in. That’s the living spirit of Metal music.

“Aeternam” shows a band that couldn’t stay in the past. The music here is a pretty tough and tight Heavy Metal with some touches of modernity in some passages where Nightmare try some vocal duets as last, but not least track, “Anneliese” where vocals are the highlight bouncing female and male voices getting very near some Symphonic and Gothic acts. Here and there the fan will notice some flirtations with Thrash Metal and some Extreme Metal features. The thing is that Nighmare use everything they have in their hands to make their music heavier and heavier as in tracks like “Divine Nemesis” and its hard as iron guitar riffing with melodic and powerful vocals. A track that reminds a lot Blind Guardian in the good old days, but with a girl on vocals.

I have to say that the option Nightmare made in their career to search for modernizing their music is a very bold one. It’s not easy this constant pursue because it may sound honest. I always say that chaging only for change’s sake is not the way, but it’s not what we have here. “Aeternam” contians honest approaches to whatever is heavy in the Metal world. Well, a fair and honored pursuit, if you ask me.

Nightmare  “Aeternam” was released on October 02nd via AFM Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Temple of Acheron
  2. Divine Nemesis
  3. The Passenger
  4. Downfall of a Tyrant
  5. Crystal Lake
  6. Lights on
  7. Aeternam
  8. Under the Ice
  9. Black September
  10. Anneliese

Watch “Aeternam” official music video here:

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