Noctural Rites - The Sacred Talisman

Sacred Talisman is a 3rd album by a young Swedish band, Nocturnal Rites. They started out as a death metal band. However, they apparently changed direction before they ever started recording because all of their albums are in the melodic metal style. This is their latest offering and the best one so far. The main strengths of this band are very catchy melodies and amazing guitar leads. The style is similar to Gamma Ray, Helloween, and Hammerfall. Good old Iron Maiden and Judas Priest influences also show up sometimes, especially in the guitar solos.

Some metal fans have accused these guys of jumping on the Hammerfall popularity bandwagon. This is not true, simply because Nocturnal Rites released their first album a few years before Hammerfall ever formed. Also, there are many important musical differences between the two. Unlike Hammerfall, Nocturnal Rites have a keyboardist, although he is not utilized all that often. The singers are quite different. Nocturnal Rites singer has wider range and a more mature, though still somewhat boyish, voice. His accent is slightly more obvious but it's unrealistic to expect all Swedish vocalists to sound as flawless as Goran Edman and Joey Tempest. The guitar department in Nocturnal Rites is much better than their Hammerfall counterparts. Some of the solos on this album are up there with the Maiden's best. Hammerfall is heavier though, especially on their second album. Lyrically, this is more of the familiar fantasy/medieval type stuff. They seem to have improved their English since the previous album but occasionally lyrics still sound a bit awkward, even if grammatically correct. The vocal melodies are great though. Every song has a very catchy chorus and Dokken-like vocal interplay.

A few words about the guitar sound. The rhythm parts are played competently and carry the melody very well. There is no runaway riffing here like on some of the Gamma Ray albums. This is partly due to the fact that most songs are only 3-4 minutes long. Their previous album "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" had way too many boring rhythm parts that seemed to go nowhere. Interestingly enough they thanked the shred pioneer Vinnie Moore in the booklet. He used to indulge in some similarly monotonous playing on his neo-classically styled instrumental albums. Still, there is a huge improvement in the rhythm department as the guitars have a clearer and a more in-your-face sound. This makes the album very easy to listen to. The guitars are not overly heavy or thick, so don't expect any thrashy rhythms. However, I do think they can improve their overall sound by making distortion a bit sharper and thicker. I have no such complaints about the soloing. The guitar tone is very nice and clear. The solos here are extremely melodic with just the right amount of flashiness, unlike many other recent metal albums where it often seems that guitarists run out of ideas and just shred mindlessly.

1.] Destiny Calling. This fast and happy song opens the album with a very catchy main riff and a positive message.
2.] The Iron Force. This is the only mid-tempo song on the album and it's just great. The thick rhythm guitars along with a few keyboard sounds provide a very melodic backbone. This was the first song I heard by this band, as it was made available for download. Smart move, now they got themselves another die-hard fan, hehehe.
3.] Ride On. Back to fast-paced rockers.
4.] Free at Last. Here the keyboards are used very refreshingly.
5.] Hold on to the Flame. The fast lead guitars start here with a good melody but then the rhythm guitars slow things down with a cool groovy rhythm. Very nice transition. The chorus is very catchy. The singer's voice was made for such speedy melodic songs. His voice sounds inspiring and very pleasant on the high notes.
6.] Eternity Holds. My favorite track. Another cool rhythm gets your head moving right from the beginning. A soaring chorus follows. and then the best solo on the album just takes you away with its harmonizing guitar sections reminiscent of Judas Priest. A standout track on an album filled with solid material.
7.] When Fire Comes to Ice. Yet another quality fast song with a very melodic chorus. Strangely, the solo here is nothing special and even slows down the song a little.
8.] The Legend Lives On. The only ballad on the album starts with a spoken word passage, in which a Darth Vader sounding king gives his son some advice. Then a grand piano kicks in and it's the only accompaniment for about a minute after which other instruments join. I really hate the way this long slow song breaks up the fast tempo of the album, although it's not that bad a song. Another great moody solo, as if anything less is expected at this point. Fortunately the following three songs kick ass all the way, making this one a distant memory when the album is finished.
9.] The King's Command. Very catchy song, driven by some very melodic riffs and great vocal melodies both on the verses and the chorus.
10.] Unholy Powers. I am really starting to run out of words to describe these great little Helloweenish gems. It is a little funny when you realize the discrepancy between the gloomy lyrics ('death will be the outcome in this spell") and the overall happy sound that dominates most of the album.
11.] Glorious. The is a variation on Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden) theme, making this the most lyrically interesting song here. The happy mood is still around though, as the song's imprisoned hero tells us cheerfully, "and my death will be glorious,.when my mission is done,..my task is complete, my journey will come to end." On the first few listens, hearing the chorus "and my death will be glorious" was a bit unsettling. Musically, this is another excellent song, a fast catchy number with an extended guitar section