Nightside - The End Of Christianity CD

Finnish Black Metal

I started to groan as soon as I spotted the cover. Turning the case over and seeing the goofy corpse–painted posing figures on the back did nothing to ally my fears and that title…? It's not going to win any originality prizes. In fact I had this sitting in my car all day before I got the chance to listen to it and I was dreading having to sit through another Swedish–style Dark Funeral clone of dull repetitive noise… 'Pleasantly surprised' is putting it a bit mildly. Nightside are described as 'melodic Black Metal' but that really does them no justice at all. For starters, they are brutal. Think of Marduk's nastier moments, or perhaps fellow Finns Impaled Nazarene's finer parts, except with the occasional twist of melody not drowned out in a repetitive sonic battering but pushed to the forefront and allowed a chance to shine. I think variety is the main thing here; it's a fast, melodic, generic–looking black metal band that actually (shock horror!) sounds different from track to track. Guitar lines weave in and out pleasantly reminding me of "De Mysteriis…" There are some fantastic solos in there (BM needs more!) and the keyboard is thankfully kept to a minimum but is still used to great effect when it does rear its head. The production varies but according to the inlay "End of…" is a mix of new and old stuff, which probably accounts for it. Another thing about the inlay is the number of members Nightside seem to have gone through, with the drummer and vocalist being the only consistent members. They've since broken up, so this is their swansong, and quite a memorable epitaph for their drummer, who showcases some great kit-work throughout. This whole disc sounds busy. There's lots going on in there during its 45 odd minutes and all going in different directions — plenty to keep things nice and interesting. It's also a bit of a grower. Each track is strong which is pretty unusual. Check out my personal favourite, the fantastic 'Demon Metal' in which Nightside thrash their way into a raw–sounding Witchery style, with big riffs and a cool clean solo, before blasting head first into the latter part of the album. Overall I'm impressed. Perhaps it's because they've done good things with a *very* tired and repetitive genre. Hell, they're no Thorns or Sigh and if you dislike this type of thing Nightside will do nothing for you. But if you're a fan and you're sick of the usual generic crap you could do worse than listen to this… Just ignore the hilarious photos and dodgy artwork and you'll be fine.

1. Call To War03:31
2. Ad Noctum06:31
3. Night's Blackest Shadow03:06
4. Summon The Holocaust04:22
5. Almighty Andras (The Return Of...)03:56
6. The Black Legion Of Satan04:02
7. Demon Metal03:32
8. Frost Maiden's Dance03:10
9. Under A Thousand Stars05:48
10. Where Darkness Shines03:39
11. The Almighty Andras03:21
12. Battlestorms04:27
Spielzeit 49:25