Artist: Nightmare (Fra)
Title: Insurrection
Type: Album
Label: AFM Records

These French Power Metallers first came to my attention supporting After Forever (I think!) at the London Garage 3 or 4 years ago, I cannot remember the date exactly. All I can remember about that day was being impressed with their music and stage presentation (and being the heaviest band on the bill ? ). Roll on a couple of albums, and they now have ‘Insurrection’ freshly recorded on their new label AFM records. These guys have been releasing albums since 1984 (but formed way back in 1979!), and it wasn’t until after the aforementioned gig, following a bit of research, that I realised it was the same band that released ‘Power of the Universe’ back in 1985 that found favour with myself around that decade, albeit a more straight metal approach than the now power metal style. Is it poignant that this band is releasing this album on September 11th? Who knows…I don’t really think it should be an issue really, it’s all about the music, there are some interesting lyrical observations made about the current state of the world and past events. At least it’s not all fantasy and dragons; these French metallers have more intelligence than that it would seem.

So are they now a modern day Nightmare? Anything but! The one thing that I have liked about this band is the vocals courtesy of Joe Amore, typical power metal range, but not wimpy at all, not many, if any, of the associated “warbles” that usually make you want to slap the singers and tell them to become men with low end voices! The quality of the songs is another good factor. Note I say songs; there is less individual efforts on display than that of some other bands around. The guitars are very much present in all their glory, but they do not overpower the overall arrangements. There are your standard 4-minute numbers, but there is a bit of an epic when it comes to ‘Three Miles Island’. At over 8 minutes, you wonder how a power metal band can sustain your interest? Plenty of time changes and different musical expressions make it so, right from the powerful intro using news reel footage (audio) from a news report about this the first nuclear power station accident of the atomic age, whenever that was! ‘The Gospel of Judas’ and the title track ‘Insurrection’ also stands out on this album. For the first time in a very long time I have not been bored with a power metal album, this can only make the album a future classic surely? That’s up for the rest of you to decide, but I for one think this is one of the best albums this band has produced in a number of years.

‘Insurrection’ is nearly an hour of heavy power metal with plenty of quality tunes and strong lyrical content.

http://www.nightmare-metal.com/
http://www.myspace.com/nightmareofficial
http://www.afm-records.de

Paul Maddison

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