Band:	Nightingale
Album:	Retribution
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	November 10, 2014
A review by:	Ivor

01. On Stolen Wings
02. Lucifer's Lament
03. Chasing The Storm Away
04. Warriors Of The Dawn
05. Forevermore
06. Divided I Fall
07. The Voyage Of Endurance
08. 27 (Curse Or Coincidence?)
09. The Maze
10. Echoes Of A Dream

A new Nightingale album has taken a long time to see daylight. To me it's at least 3-4 years overdue. Ever since Swanö hinted at it being in the works I've been impatiently waiting for a release date. As days, weeks, months and years went by, I started filing the scarce news of its progress under speculative fiction and fantasy. I was slowly starting to think of it as a vapourtune.

Now that the album is here, I'm confused. By all rights I should be happy as a clam. Retribution is as much a Nightingale album as any previous one; the sound and the atmosphere of the album stays true to the course set in the past. It's still the melodic hard rock that makes use of the keyboards and synth ambience quite a bit. Most importantly, though, it's Dan's voice that I've been partial to since the moment I first heard him sing. So, it's all still there. And yet, I'm not enjoying it as much as I should.

Which is weird because, apart from the fact that waiting for it has worn the album thin before I even heard it, Retribution is probably the most solid Nightingale release to date. A case of waiting too long blew out the glistening spark for me and has made me literally work through the album and what it has hidden inside. I feel like I have to explain to myself step by step why this album is good, just to counter that one non-issue I have with it.

To pretend this album is original is something akin to cheating on a child. So, let's just say there aren't any real musical surprises. Although, that's not entirely true. I think I was most amused by the beginnings of "Chasing the Storm Away" that reminded me of some Dire Straits tune. It's still a good song, though. So, while there aren't any real surprises, there aren't any visible flaws and stitches to it either. A long time in the making has allowed the team to polish this album well.

The strongest quality of Retribution actually lies in the lyrics. The stories the band tell and the topics they ponder through the means of the songs are worth thinking along. For this band the lyrics are not just idle words but a part of the solid, thought-provoking whole. It makes the album complete in about every way imaginable. If only I could now find a way to really enjoy it as much as it deserves...