Customer Reviews

Afterlife

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

ok here goes I personly didnt like this album, it isnt ANYTHING like their other two. First of all they changed lead singers, and they went back to their roots as a death metal band. The still sound like power metal music wizes, but their lyrics just went to hell. I'll read a line from the song Hell and back "nailed to a cross and I spit in disgust no way that I'll follow the blind Broke down the shackles that fettered my mind the devil laughs by my side" So in other word if you like this kind of music it is one of the best, but if you were like me and thinking to hear the old nocturnal rites STAY AWAY.

It figures that the only Nocturnal Rites album I really enjoyed is the one everyone else seems to consider an aberration. I tried a couple of the Swedish band's earlier releases (1997's Tales of Mystery and Imagination and 1999's The Sacred Talisman) and just didn't care for their Hammerfall-esque style of power metal. It was 2000's Afterlife that made me reconsider just what the band had to offer.

Now, Afterlife is still very much a melodic power metal album, but the difference between it and the band's previous albums are striking. For one thing, the music is heavier - a lot heavier - on Afterlife, moving Nocturnal Rites a little further down the spectrum away from Hammerfall and into Nevermore territory. The songs and lyrics also have a darker, more aggressive tone, emphasizing dark futuristic concepts instead of mighty warriors and magic swords. Last, but certainly not least, the band recruited a singer (Johnny Lindqvist) whose voice was as muscular and ballsy as their music had become. Lindqvist's vocals suit Nocturnal Rites' more aggressive sound perfectly.

The end result of these changes is a better than average power metal album, and one that stands the test of time much better than anything the band had previously recorded. Unfortunately the darker Nocturnal Rites sound was short-lived, and the band went back to a more predictable power metal sound. Lindqvist stuck around though, and his voice alone makes checking out later albums worthwhile.

If you're looking for another bright and shiny Dungeons & Dragons metal album, you won't find it here. If however, you're looking for a power metal album that stretches the boundaries of the genre and glories in the darker aspects of metal (without treading into clichéd satanic territory), you should definitely give Afterlife a try.

"Afterlife" (2000) is the fourth album from Sweden's Nocturnal Rites and the second one I bought. My first Nocturnal Rites purchase was New World Messiah (2004), and I will restrict my discussion of their discography to those two albums.

Judging by the negative reviews published in 2000, "Afterlife" was quite controversial upon its release. From what little I've heard of Nocturnal Rites' early work, I can understand why. But listening to this album now, long after the controversy has died down, there's simply no denying the greatness of "Afterlife". I realized it when I tried to pick my favorite song and discovered what a daunting task this was.

My closest analogy for what "Afterlife" sounds like is Judas Priest's Painkiller. Not that the two sound that much alike, although "Afterlife" contains some Priest influences to be sure. But Nocturnal Rites did with "Afterlife" what Judas Priest did with "Painkiller". They took what they were doing before and made it faster, heavier, and more vicious!

My definition of a five star release is a rare album where picking the highlights results in nearly the entire track list. This surpasses that. There is not a single weak, or even mediocre, song on "Afterlife". "New World Messiah" had its share of filler ("Break Away" for instance). This has none. "Afterlife" is a killer album from start to finish.

It's hard to find fault with this CD. As I mentioned in my review of New World Messiah, the production on "Afterlife" is a bit muffled, especially the vocals. And "Afterlife" clocks in at just over forty minutes. But that's about it. These quibbles are so minor they are insignificant.

In conclusion, if you love heavy/power/speed metal and you don't own this, you're really missing out. Highly recommended.

P.S. I finally managed to pick a favorite song: "The Sinner's Cross". I've had easier root canals.

not your typical power metal lyrics, this is their best lyric writing right here. it's dark, edgy, and very "grim" for this style of music. i can tell that a lot of power mteal bands don't really know much about death metal or any other kind of metal by some of the reviews here. not all death metal bands talk about hating god and stuff. and just beause you got heavy guitars doesn't make you brutal or not power metal.

I would say this is maybe my personal favorite NC cd but shadowland and new world messiah are both really good too so i'm not sure. BUt the riffs on this cd are pretty good and heavy, very memorable. While not as catchy as the two cds after this one, it is still catch with shorter song structers so you won't get bored.

The production isn't very clear. I mean, it's LOUD. You don't have to turn your cd player up a thousand notches to hear it or anything but it's muffled, kinda like someone with a pillow over their face screaming at the tops of their lungs. maybe it's just that i'm used to shadowland and NWM having awesome production, i dunno. but i'm not taking any points away for it.

Their singer is that power metallish here as he is on the next two releases. I wold actually say this cd is more standard metal than power metal. but oh well, i like all metal so i don't care. I haven't heawrd their first two cds so i can't compare but compared to their one after this, it's a worth addition to your metal catolog. bye.

Just got this CD today, and have to admit that I was happily surprised, even after expecting a difference from reading the other reviews.

Keep an open mind, and do -not- expect what you've -come- to expect from Nocturnal Rites. New agression, new singer... all around good stuff! Strong riffs, strong melodies. I'm definitely happy with my purchase, and would recommend this CD to anyone!

I don't agree with the reviews on this cd. I think afterlife is a killer cd. Yes the sound has changed a little, more heavier and less melodic, but thats the way i like it. The cd still has the speed of past releases such as the sacred talisman, which i also think is a killer cd. The singer has changed also, but the change is not that noticable to me. Comparisons could be made to bands such as Forbidden, one of my all time favorite bands, on such songs like 'the sign' and 'hellennium'. While other songs such as 'wake up dead' brought back memories from JP's 'Painkiller' release. The title track is probably one of the best metal songs i have heard in a while (one reviewer called NR a rock band, come on). So if you like power metal, speed and heaviness then this cd is for you. Don't always go by 1 or 2 bad reviews, AFTERLIFE KICKS A**.

When I first listen to this record I got shocked. This does not sound like the old band at all. It is a real diseapointment. Where is all the good, melodic songs? Where is all the great guitar-riffs? In fact, almost everything have changed. Now they sound like any ordinary hard rock band. The things that made them special are gone. The two records before this one was sooo great, but this one is not worth buying. At least not if you're a fan of the two before. Then you should save your money and buy something else....

Ok, as other's pointed out, it's a lot heavier than the previous 2 albums, and a little less lead work. But all in all it's not THAT much different. A 7 string really does make a difference in the sound, but it's about the same pace as it was before, all i really find different is the extra string and the less cheesy lyrics. It's basically the same, but i think better because of the deeper tone of the guitars. Not too much new to say here that other reviewer's haven't already said. I think some people are being silly be deciding they don't like it because of one little string. Also whoever said this was death metalish is being ignorant. Go listen to a sound clip from a Cryptosy record. THAT's death metal, this isn't even remotely related in the world of metal.

Yeah, yeah -- you could say that this is quite different from its past two albums but a band changes and matures as it is supposed to! People who believe contrary are listening to hard rock and mainstream metal which are extremely confining and run across a thin line -- they break no barriers.

This is a fantastic album! There are always omnipresent, great melodies, its never dull and with excellent production on top of it! It has been called a masterpiece and a failure in the underground metal community -- I call this a MASTERPIECE. A Buy-Or-Die purchase -- Go get it!!!

This album was such a disappointing followup to "The Sacred Talisman" that words cannot describe. First of all, the melodic style is gone-the lyrics are sub-par, the lead singer has been replaced, and the incorporation of cheesy, mechanical effects with the new singers vocals at times, is unforgiveable. I don't know what happened...their last two albums were phenomenal-"The Sacred Talisman", a masterpiece, and then "The Afterlife" comes out, which shattered my image of the band. Check out some sound samples before you blindly buy this album, or you may find yourself as disappointed as I was...