DEATHRITE

Nightmares Reign

cENTuRY mEDIA Filthy German death metal quintet opt for the sinister slow burn It would be a stretch to say that Deathrite have mellowed with age, but there’s definitely a newfound air of maturity surrounding their fourth opus, even down to its colourful, abstract cover – a stark contrast to the monochrome, skeletonadorned artwork on previous releases. When

Nightmares Reign starts the album with sinister, subdued atmospherics rather than all-out blasting, before erupting into something resembling both Power Trip’s furious, thrashy bluster and the morbid prog flourishes of Morbus Chron’s last album in equal measure. While not as ‘out there’ as the latter, Deathrite definitely expand their palette here;

Invoke Natural Light, for example, pairs stoic d-beat against wonky Thin Lizzy-esque licks to delightfully surreal effect, and nine-minute closer

Temptation Calls battles through swathes of dissonant Voivod-style skronk before arriving at an explosive and surprisingly emotive climax.

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FOR FANS OF: Morbus Chron, Power Trip, Entombed

KEZ WHELAN