Customer Reviews

8th Sin

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you look elsewhere for reviews of this album, you'll see that many critics have harshly panned this one. The reason is that its a very poppy album with a lot of catchy hooks and melodies. Make no mistake - this is not a traditional power metal album as much as it is a pop metal album. There is a common comparison to Bon Jovi-meets-Yngwie Malmsteen. I wouldn't go that far. But lets be clear - this isn't old Nocturnal Rites, and if you had a problem with their last 2 albums then you'll probably hate this.

Now with that all being said, this is a GOOD album for what it is. Great production value, well-written songs and awesome guitar playing. By its own merits, The 8th Sin is an enjoyable affair if you're a fan of catchy melodic metal in the vein of Masterplan or Ride The Sky.

I didn't know what to expect at all with this album. My first impression was "these guys sound like 80s pop metal...METAL Posers!" I literally Hated it. But the tunes quickly attached themselves to my brain and soon I was wondering what the name of these tunes were that kept playing in my head. Had to Listen again. And Again. After several visits to the ER and two different kinds of antibiotics to try and rid myself of any infection this album may have caused, I began to realize that although this album is very much a Metal Pop album, it's still a better bunch of songs than anything Metallica has released in the last few years. The comparison to Bon Jovi isn't so far off, with the exception that Nocturnal Rites is much more "Heavy" and much more interesting. I recommend this album to Metal Heads of all persuasions. It's a passive listen, very melodic, the songs will stick in your head even if you've only heard them a couple of times...Produced well. Glad to have it in my growing collection.

2007's The 8th Sin is (you guessed it) the eighth studio album from Swedish power metal band Nocturnal Rites. I'm not a huge fan of this band, but they're enjoyable enough, so when I ran across a clearance copy of this disc I decided to give it a try.

I have to say, this is not at all what I expected. Aside from their early death metal days and the heavier than usual Afterlife, Nocturnal Rites sticks pretty close to the power metal formula. Not so with The 8th Sin, which goes in a more melodic, less epic direction. It's still undeniably a metal album (and not pop metal as some have said), but the songs on The 8th Sin are catchier, melodic in an almost commercial way (as commercial as metal gets, anyway), and have a great `80s energy. I absolutely love this style of metal, so of course I ended up loving this album. The melodies are killer, the songs make you want to sing along, and Jonny Lindqvist does an amazing job on vocals.

I can totally understand how The 8th Sin could turn off some of Nocturnal Rites' fans, especially those who only want to hear pure power metal. As much as I enjoy power metal, I much prefer melodic metal along the lines of Masterplan, Ride the Sky, Jorn and At Vance, and with The 8th Sin, Nocturnal Rites has joined that list in a big way.

Edition Notes: My copy of The 8th Sin came with a bonus DVD featuring live footage and other behind-the-scenes type material. I'm not sure if that is exclusive to early pressings, or if they all have it. It's a cool addition either way.

We understand this release has been criticised by fasn of their previous harder progmetal discs, but the 8th sin is joy to the ears of all who love metal with melodies. No clunkers on the disk, this is highly recommended-great guitar playing too.

An OK album, but not what I had hoped for after listening to the preview tracks.

If you're looking for good power metal (as fans of Noc's previous albums probably are), this album will likely disappoint you. If you want a decent pop-metal album with catchy choruses, this is a pretty good one.

SUPER EXCELLENT ALBUM !!! KILLER VOICE AND SPEED !!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ALL !!!