Review NIGHTBEARER “Defiance”

Hailing from Paderborn, Germany, Nightbearer is one of the country’s rising death metal bands. Founded in 2017, the band released an EP called “Stories from Beyond” in 2018, followed by the debut album “Tales of Sorcery and Death” the next year.

With “Defiance”, the five-piece band unveils their latest effort, marking a significant step in their development. Inspired originally by old-school death metal from the ’90s, Nightbearer has broadened their musical approach, which is evident in the acoustic intro “Dust” and comes to the forefront in “His Dark Materials.” While “Dust” is a peaceful introduction, hell breaks loose with the first full-length song. “His Dark Materials” begins with a blood-curdling scream from frontman Michael Torka. The song is a furious start to the album that also features melodic leads and Torka barking out vocals while the hoarse screams add a blackened soul to the roaring death metal blast.

The title “His Dark Materials” also expresses the lyrical inspiration for the album. Rather than using splatter-style lyrics, Nightbearer based the lyrical concept of the album on the eponymous trilogy of books by Philip Pullman.

“Defiance” showcases Nightbearer’s musical approach. Furious metal meets melodic guitar lines and solos, giving the album a special flow and thrill. Jangling vocals return in “Dying Knows No Boundaries” before “Reign Supreme” begins with calmer passages. A melodic guitar riff creates an atmospheric mood before the song evolves into a thumping death metal anthem.

Nightbearer’s new album is brutal yet versatile. This becomes apparent with each song, and the dense sound adds to the power of “Defiance.” This applies to the blasting moments of the album, as well as the melodic twists and calmer sections.

However, another twist comes with “Ascension.” Slower than most of the album and doom-based, “Ascension” starts differenly before turning into another death metal inferno. Gothenburg-rooted melodies kick off “Until We Meet Again” before the roaring “Republic of Heaven” concludes the album.

Nightbearer steers their ship in a good musical direction. While they mostly pump iron, the band also doesn’t shy away from calmer, more intricate moments, which give the album enough variation and lasting delight for fans of death metal. “Defiance” is Nightbearer’s most sophisticated album to date.