By Jonny Bakes
The phrase “never judge a book by its cover” is often used to say that you shouldn’t overlook something because of how it appears on the outside, but it can also be used to mean the opposite too. Take one of those 125cc motorbikes decked out to look like a superbike: they’ve got all the looks of a beastly machine, but about as much bite as a chicken korma… The same can go for albums too, sometimes you pick up something and get completely the wrong idea of what is in store, which is exactly what happened to me with this album.
Nightblade, I thought, sounded like a band that was distinctly heavy or perhaps more erring towards the power metal end of the spectrum and the cover depicting Death wading through a river suggested I was on the right track with that assumption. I was not (and you wouldn’t have been alone there, JB, as I would have been expecting some sort of NWoBHM revivalism – Ed). Instead I ended up listening to something that was completely at odds with those initial expectations. Perhaps if I had read the press release beforehand, I would have dived in with a clearer idea of what to expect!
Somehow, I’d missed out on the last decade of Nightblade’s existence which has included the backing of Metal Hammer and a big push into the Japanese market via the massive music magazine ‘Burn’. So there must be something about this band that has earned this following and this latest album comes with the promise of a new sound which edges towards the likes of some of the modern school of anthemic alt-metal bands too. So, let’s take a dive into it.
My first thoughts upon listening to ‘Ignorance is Bliss’ is that this sounds more like a relatively easy listening classic rock album than it does a collection of modern metal anthems. There’s just something about it that lacks the depth and guts of contender for the likes of Alter Bridge and Shinedown. The rhythm is generally pretty simple and catchy (often reminding me of some of Deep Purple’s later work) which lays down a pretty effective backbone for the tracks, but it feels a little bit like the guitars don’t have the chance to shine properly. In fact it seems that the mix is geared more towards the vocals of Mark Crosby, and these become the main focus as you listen to the album which is great if you’re a fan of his voice. For me though, it didn’t quite do it for me. There are some odd flourishes of the guitar that shine through at points, but not quite strongly enough for my liking.
It’s difficult to pick a standout track on this album as all the tracks are pretty on par with each other. But let’s take a look at the title track, and album opener, ‘Ignorance is Bliss’. It’s a fairly lively number with a simple-yet-effective drum rhythm which maintains a consistent momentum throughout the track. It feels like it should build up to something, like a big crescendo, but it seems to be just the vocals that are driving in that direction and they don’t quite manage to hold it out on their own. Instead to me it felt like a bit of a road to nowhere, which isn’t what I want to see in an album opener!
All in all, ‘Ignorance is Bliss’ just doesn’t tickle my pickle. I tend to prefer my music to be a bit more gutsy than I got out of this. However, it will most likely appeal to a wide range of people, particularly those who like who are still deeply set on classic rock. If Guns ‘n’ Roses and (less proggy) Deep Purple dominate your music collection then this will likely be right up your street. There are moments in tracks where things start to grab my attention though but don’t manage to keep that attention. Particularly there’s some promising rhythm work going on, which appeals to my percussionist side, but it gets a little lost in the mix unfortunately. So, yeah, it’s not for me I’m afraid, but there’s every chance that it could be for you! There’s probably plenty of you out there reading this thinking that I’m absolutely mad, but hey, this is just my opinion…
- ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ is released on Friday (4 December). You can get your copy HERE.
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