Band:	Nightfall
Album:	At Night We Prey
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	March 05, 2021
A review by:	nikarg

01. She Loved The Twilight
02. Killing Moon
03. Darkness Forever
04. Witches
05. Giants Of Anger
06. Temenos
07. Meteor Gods
08. Martyrs Of The Cult Of The Dead (Agita)
09. At Night We Prey
10. Wolves In Thy Head

This right here is the melodic death metal that I prefer. The one that embraces melody without sailing the seas of cheese. The one that doesn't sound like power metal if you remove the growls. This is Nightfall.

You may think that Rotting Christ and Septicflesh pioneered the Greek extreme metal scene - and they did indeed - but they were not alone. In fact, Nightfall were a bigger band than both of them in the beginning and they were the first to sign an international deal. They have been through a lot during the past three decades but they now have a new line-up and a promising future with Season of Mist. Nightfall's heart and soul, Efthimis Karadimas, has reunited with guitarist Mike Galiatsos, so the band currently has 50% of its original members. The other two musicians are the drummer and producer Fotis Benardo, who has been involved with more bands than I can count, and guitarist Kostas Kyriakopoulos, who is also member of The Slayerking (do check them out, their doom is worthy of your time).

Thematically, the focal point of At Night We Prey is depression, a monster that Efthimis had to fight against and, hopefully, beat. Depression isn't simply 'a state of feeling sad'; it represents anger that is directed toward the self or turned inwards. Thankfully, the music in this album is not a linear sadboi soundtrack, but instead it tries to capture the range of moods, feelings, and reactions of someone who experiences depression. There is anger, fury, sadness, frustration, and even hope.

The songs are based on gritty riffs, played with a guitar tone that is heavy and thick, while the leads are memorable and give each track its own distinctive character. The rhythm section is also very strong and there are some pretty interesting things happening on the drum kit. The growls are deep and expressive, and they are a staple connecting the songs, also marking an attractive contrast with the female vocals. The latter appear in various forms and often sound like voices in the head of someone experiencing mental suffering. They also add to the general gothicness of the atmosphere.

The song sequence is smart with the first couple of tracks - after the short intro - being the real bangers that get you hooked; "Killing Moon" is brilliantly played, fast and melodic death metal, while "Darkness Forever" is a thrashy motherfucker, and a bit uncommon for Nightfall. From the excellent "Witches" onward, the music gets doomier and this doom leans more on the deadly, melodic, or ritualistic side, depending on which song you are listening to. "Meteors" is one of the most interesting tracks, featuring a part with some off-kilter drumming underneath a bluesy solo, while "Martyrs Of The Cult Of The Dead (Agita)" is the catchiest tune with the vocals following the lead guitar in the chorus in a way that sticks in your mind like a chewing gum.

The mix is a bit on the brickwalled side unfortunately and, although this doesn't destroy the experience, I would have preferred a more roomy recording. As far as the songwriting goes, there is no blatant filler but I feel that the title track is a slight letdown both as a composition and mood-wise, coming after the very energetic "Martyrs Of The Cult Of The Dead (Agita)". Luckily the closer "Wolves In Thy Head" brings back the bite to end things more deservingly.

At Night We Prey has more punch than Cassiopeia and it is very much rooted in the '90s, with different influences from various bands of the melodic death / doom / gothic spectrum of that time. Formed in the beginning of the '90s themselves, Nightfall are actually revisiting their own sound developments through the years with this one but they still sound fresh and make music that is as engaging as ever. So do not hesitate, come and prey when the night falls and sing along:

"Running with the devil thousand miles like hell
Screaming out my anger
Life is all but fair
Faith saves they say
Faith in me is dead
Burning down myself this is my revenge
I tried many ways to understand about
Love and hate and fear and shut my inner doubt
Promises were bright everything looked fine but pressure blew my head
I am so fed up
I yell"