Dead Sun by Nightmare (AFM Records)

Dead Sun by Nightmare (AFM Records)

With the arrival of a New Year brings brave new beginnings, as is the case with the highly prolific French heavy metal legends Nightmare. Unleashing their timeless reveries since 1984, 2015 saw the defection of two longtime key players – vocalist Jo Amore and drummer David Amore. Not long after a new lineup was announced, introducing the additions of powerhouse vocalist Maggy Luyten (Beautiful Sin, Beyond The Bridge, ex-Ayreon) and drummer Olivier Casula (Sandragon, ex-Thalidomide, The Seven Gates). And with their fiery tenth album Dead Sun, Nightmare writes a stunning new chapter in their vast and glorious career that is sure to captivate longtime fans as well as attract a slate of new converts looking for adventure and intrigue.

Dead Sun launches into supersonic orbit with the scorching refrains of Infected, and what a grand introduction for the new members this is. One notices right away Maggy Luyten’s vibrant vocal intensity as well as the slamming drum work of Olivier Casula. Sleepless Minds then enraptures the listener with its relentless force shining thorough in an epic way. The pedal crashes firmly into the metal with the dramatic Tangled In The Roots followed by the thrashing yet regal Red Marble Gold. Ikarus then flies into an intergalactic realm that is truly sweeping to behold.

Indifference is a fist raising anthem that is sure to become a staple within the Nightmare live repertoire. And the journey rages on from the commencement of the ominous Seeds Of Agony (complete with haunting children’s choir), the spiraling title cut Dead Sun, to the hard hitting Serpentine and well beyond.  There is a certainly a renaissance going on within Nightmare, as Dead Sun is a staggering work of artistry encompassing a collective ready to triumphantly take on the future.

The dual guitar work of Franck Milleliri and Matt Asselbergs is nothing short of staggering, melting through your speakers and steaming into an otherworldly realm. Bassist Yves Campion and drummer Olivier Casula unleash a tremendously tight rhythm section, exuding a massive amount of skill and precision. And the splendor and strength to be found within the mesmerizing vocal performance of Maggy Luyten truly sets the imagination in flight. With a lineup this compelling and an album as thoroughly breathtaking as Dead Sun, expect Nightmare to burn high and bright for the glorious metal ages ahead!

If you are in Europe be sure to catch Nightmare on their upcoming Road To Victory Tour 2017 with Civil War! And if you are here in the States, set sail on the 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise and find Nightmare on board ready to rock out in the wilds of the Caribbean and beyond!

(Review by Ken Morton)

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