NIGHTMARE
NIGHTMARE “Encrypted”
By Dr. Abner Mality
“Encrypted” is the 12th album from these tireless French metallers. I remember seeing their very early vinyl records when I was going to college in the early 80’s. Back then, they were the face of French metal along with SORTILEGE and VULCAIN. Their sound was a combo of hard rock and NWOBHM, in line with many bands of the time.
These guys simply do not quit. They’ve gone through a ton of changes through the years, putting out some very thrashy stuff. Then they lost the Amore brothers, the guiding force behind the band, and I thought they were toast. But no, indeed, NIGHTMARE again reinvented themselves by adding female vocals and a more power metal oriented sound. They blew through a number of femme fatales but kept at it, until we finally wind up with latest chanteuse Barbara Mogore and the new album “Encrypted”.
While treading a very familiar path, NIGHTMARE deliver quality metal here. The album has plenty of metallic crunch but also some of the best melodies they have ever delivered. I’d describe this as a combo of symphonic female-led power metal, light thrash and even melodic death metal. Barbara has a great clean singing voice that doesn’t go overboard with piercing wails or over-articulation but adapts itself to the melody of the song. She also tries her hands at some harsher death growls and these are less convincing. But the energy of the record stays constant, as it veers from powerful fast ragers like “The Blossom of My Hate” and the title track to mid-paced heavy stompers like “White Lines” and “Voices From the Other Side”.
Top track for me has to be “Wake The Night”, which touches greatness with an awesome hook-filled chorus...this equals the best of female-fronted power metal. “White Lines” is not too far behind. “Encrypted” is pretty much a straight shot of pure metal from a band that never says die.