Embedded Files
NIGHT SPECTRE "Night Spectre"
NIGHT SPECTRE "Night Spectre"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Dying Victims Productions out of Germany is one of the fastest growing labels in all of underground metal, known for their mostly impeccable taste in classic metal and old school speed metal. I'm starting to wonder if they are growing too fast, because an awful lot of Dying Victims releases are coming my way. And with NIGHT SPECTRE from Greece, I think their quality control is beginning to slip a bit.
This band is 100% in Dying Victims style, coming across like a dark metal band from 1985 or so. I'm all for it, but this isn't up to the standards I've come to expect. The band surely have their hearts in the right place, as their music comes across like MERCYFUL FATE mixed with the galloping thunder of NWOBHM bands like CLOVEN HOOF and ANGELWITCH. And indeed, the first few tracks here are not bad at all, if extremely derivative. "Death Contract" and "The Maniac" are OK, but it's obvious right from the beginning that the vocals of Tasos Molyviatis are a problem. He is average at best and dreadful at worst. I just can't think of anything about his voice that perks my interest.
The album starts to fall apart as it rolls on. Sure, they hit all the tropes of 80's metal but not at the next level that's needed. "Blades of Galvino" is blah, the ballad "Crossing The Abyss" is dull and even the guitar soloing is shrill, and "Damnation of Memory" is just a terrible song. Molyviatis' "singing" here is atrocious. After this abortion, "Night Spectre" itself doesn't sound too bad.
Maybe Dying Victims should ease up on signing every traditional metal band in Europe. NIGHT SPECTRE is not up to their usual standard.
Report abuse