Nightmare – The Burden of God – Album Review

French band Nightmare return with their eight studio album, The Burden Of God. The line up has seen a number of changes since their formation in 1979. They took a break 1987-1999 and the line up now features Jo Amore on vocals, Franck Milleliri and Matt Asselbergs on guitars, Yves Campion on bass, and David Amore on drums. After their hiatus, they ventured away from their roots of NWOBHM and started playing more power metal. Through weaving other genre influences into their sound, Nightmare have always kept their music interesting and varied. The Burden Of God is no exception.

The intro ‘Gateways To The Void’ is orchestral in style, complete with strings, wind and brass sections. It’s an enjoyable listen and quite honestly I could have listened to that piece of music for a lot longer than the two and a half minutes it lasts for and was pretty disappointed when the creepy voiceover started. It actually reminded me of the piece of music I wrote for my GCSE music composition… ah, memories!

‘Sunrise In Hell’ is where the metal begins and, in true Nightmare fashion, is hard and heavy with thumping guitars and intense vocals from Jo Amore, who sounds eerily like Dio. What is different about this album is the more melodic nature of the tracks, which each display a definite melodic/ power metal borderline, proving yet again that Nightmare don’t like to play it too safe, instead branching out and trying new things.

I love getting peeks of symphonic metal that are scattered throughout the album; ‘Children Of The Nation’ for example. We’re talking about these being so delicately done, they could be overlooked, but it works and adds an additional level of depth to the album. It’s a track of emotional gravitas, which, when combined with Jo Amore’s voice, creates an atmospheric vacuum for the listener to disappear into.

‘The Dominion Gate (Part III)’ is part of an ongoing series and features female vocals, which are a perfect contrast to Jo Amore’s. There is also a symphonic break towards the end of this track with a choral section, which breaks up the powerful message running throughout the track.

This album is a pleasure to listen to, different melodic styles are interwoven all the way through, yet manages to maintain an undertone of power metal within the guitars and bass. Yet again, Nightmare have produced a creative masterpiece. Très bien.

Track Listing

1. Gateways To The Void
2. Sunrise In Hell
3. The Burden Of God
4. Crimson Empire
5. Children Of The Nation
6. The Preacher
7. Shattered Hearts
8. The Doomsday Prediction
9. The Dominion Gate (Part III)
10. Final Outcome
11. Afterlife

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