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The word “Nightfall” conjures up many diverse images and impressions in one’s mind, ranging from utter darkness to star-spotted skies, the thrill of adventure to the terror of the unknown and unseen, and the end of something great to the beginning of something even greater. Likewise, these descriptions could all be used to characterize the music of Greece’s NIGHTFALL at some point in their storied two decades as a musical force – particularly the latter, as the case stands today.
Since forming the band in the early 1990’s, NIGHTFALL frontman and mastermind Efthimis Karadimas has always strived to push the musical boundaries that the group explores, along with poetical written passages that intrigue the fatigue of a volatile nous. Their debut effort, 1992’s Parade Into Centuries (Holy Records), was a showcase for what Greece had to offer the doom and death genre. This sound evolved through 1994’s Macabre Sunsets (Holy Records) and 1995’s unique and grandiose Athenian Echoes (Holy Records) before giving way to a more raw, blackened-death sound for 1997’s Lesbian Show (Holy Records), and sickening progressive 1999’s Diva Futura (Holy Records) to conclude the… two hundred decades era.
A penchant for changing musical tides requires changing musical minds, and NIGHTFALL has seen its share of talented musicians impart their own flavor into the group’s sonic mixture. The venerable George Kollias (drums, NILE), George Bokos (guitar, ROTTING CHRIST), and Bob Katsionis (guitar, FIREWIND), together with Karadimas, have made up the more recent incarnation of NIGHTFALL, and were responsible for bringing the group into the new millennium with2003’s I am Jesus (Black Lotus Records), and eventually offering the 2005 opus Lyssa: Rural Gods and Astonishing Punishments (Black Lotus Records). Never one to push creative efforts just for production’s sake, Efthimis Karadimas soon after decided to instead foster a totally novel musical embryo…
Four years of introspection and maturation later he has reassembled his musical vehicle with a fresh crop of co-pilots to assemble the forthcoming Astron Black & the Thirty Tyrants, even branching out internationally for the first time. German drummer Jörg Uken (the mind behind Soundlodge Studios, Germany) brought his blend of thrash ‘n’ death pounding to the record while also handling production and engineering duties. Keyboardist Stathis Kassios provides an awe-inspiring layer of harmonious texture and accentuation that rushes the music into unexplored territory. Finally, American guitarist Evan Hensley delivers aggressive, precise riffing and melodic lead work, rich with texture and emotion. All of these new additions perfectly complement Karadimas’ full-force vocal delivery and trademark poetry to make Astron Black & the Thirty Tyrants the most ambitious offering in the history of the band – and even more so considering that this is their first release for world-renowned Metal Blade Records.
Has this new lineup pushed NIGHTFALL into their musical apotheosis? The answer seems to be yes for now, but if the band’s dynamic past proves anything, it is that NIGHTFALL is a continual force to be reckoned with and demands that you expect the unexpected.
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