Description

Somewhere in the heat of power metal�s expansion in scope in 2003, Nostradameus made the decision to jump ship and take the road of self-reinvention. This path is pretty risky, especially when you�ve already established a winning formula and have 3 exceptional albums under your belt. Granted, much like Nocturnal Rites, this outfit had a fairly meagre following compared to others who came out at the same time, thus having less people to potentially disappoint. And much like their Swedish comrades, they�ve opted to take a heavier, less epic road than before. The parallels between �Hellbound� and Nocturnal Rites �Afterlife� are pretty strong, and are not limited to a trimming back of the song lengths and the epic qualities of their old sound. There has been an introduction of some modern sounding vocal and instrumental effects to complement their sound, particularly on the opening track �Never Turning Back�. Unfortunately, this more stripped down approach has resulted in the band limiting themselves in their riff selection. Much of the idiomatic power metal leads have been cut out and we mostly get the single obligatory solo or a passing lead harmony that is extremely subdued and repetitive. The final result is not quite the brilliant speed metal reinvention that Nocturnal Rites successfully pulled off in 2000, it is still a pretty solid mix of heavier modern thrash and power metal. If you like bands such as Heed and Sarissa, this is a good addition to your collection. Fans of the first two Nostradameus albums will probably either not like this at all or only is lukewarm to it. Track listing: 1. Never Turning Back 2. Your Betrayal 3. The Reaper's Image 4. Hellbound 5. One Step Away 6. Fight 7. Cut Like Blades 8. Seven 9. One World To Live In 10. I Am Free