Nightmare – Aeternam

Nightmare
Aeternam
AFM Records
October 2, 2020
48:47

Grenoble? There was something? Exactly. Bands like Lonewolf or Elvenstorm also have their domicile there. Eternal Flight comes from the same region. And all of these bands can look back on a long history. The “veterans” among them are probably Nightmare. The German press text speaks of the foundation more than three decades ago. It’s not wrong, but it was more than forty years ago, in 1979. Back then as a Punk Band. But soon they turned to Heavy Metal. But four founding members left the band. The first creative phase lasted until 1988. After that, the band was quiet for more than ten years. In 1999 Nightmare were reactivated. From then on, they had devoted themselves to Power Metal. Further line-up changes followed. The only remaining founding member is bassist Yves Campion. After four-year break, the eleventh studio album of the French now appears with “Aeterman”.

The Death Metal riffs at the beginning of the opener “Temple Of Acheron” made me fear badly. The vocals also sound a bit harsh at first. But soon newcomer Marianne “Madie” Dien will be able to show what Power Metal voice she calls her own. The guitars continue to roast. A reef thunderstorm pounds on the listener. Always briefly interrupted by guitar solos. “Divine Nemesis” was released as the band’s third single in mid-September. A dark but passionate song. And again, with a lot of speed, partly on the border with Thrash. And so, it goes on, a wild mixture of Death quotes, Thrash and Melodic (high-speed) Power Metal. This is then taken to extremes with the title track “Aeternam”. This stands in big contrast to the hymn “Lights On”, that was heard immediately before it. Variety is very important to the French. With “Crystal Lake” you can also find a completely non cheesy power ballad on the album.

Singer Madie makes a convincing debut on “Aeternam”. But the whole band can score here. Ten varied Power Metal songs with many quotes towards Thrash and Melodic Death. In addition, a very fat production. Nightmare set an impressive fragrance brand. The releases of other metal bands have to be measured against this album. And the bar is set high.

Nightmare – Divine Nemesis: https://youtu.be/O_MTIoVlw7o

Lineup:

Marianne „Madie“ Dien – Vocals
Yves Campion – Bass, Vocals
Franck Milleliri – Guitar
Matt Asselberghs – Guitar, Vocals
Niels Quiais – Drums

Track list:

• Temple Of Acheron
• Divine Nemesis
• The Passenger
• Downfall Of A Tyrant
• Crystal Lake
• Lights On
• Aeternam
• Under The Ice
• Black September
• Anneliese