Once upon a time, I thought of Melodic Death Metal as the Michael Bolton of the Metal community. It’s pretty, at times brutal as fuck; but ultimately one cancels out the other and it either sucks ass or kicks it. This is not the case with Greece’s Nightfall.

I wasn’t expecting what I got from Children of Eve. I was expecting some Vampire Doom outfit. I was wrong as wrong can be, however, because like I said before, Nightfall is Melodic Death Metal through and through. Plus, they’ve been around forever… I never heard them until now. However, they have been spreading their disease since 1991. Where the fuck was I? Oh yeah, graduating from high school… Anyway, I’m late to the party, but whatever. Let’s go!

“I Hate” bursts out of the gate on a flurry of double bass blasting, razor-sharp riffs guide the track through the slow bits around the 2:21 mark, when the solo kicks in with some sick soloing. It’s an unrelenting opening track and is followed by the decidedly slower “The Cannibal.” It’s slower, yet no less brutal, and there’s some killer female vocals hidden amidst the roaring from vocalist Efthimis Karadimas. I get a nice taste of early Amorphis with that track.

“Lurking” is a ass kicking thrasher, sporting a powerful mid section, it’s a blistering track and an early favorite. There are many huge moments on Children of Eve. The weird electronics at the beginning of “Inside My Head” had me thinking that it was going to be a cover of the Cure’s “The Caterpillar” but it isn’t (fortunately). “Seeking Revenge” bursts in like nobody’s business, bringing some great scattershot riffing, brutal Thrash erupts while the maelstrom spins at top speed.

Each track on Children of Eve is a spike to the face. Equally beautiful and savage riffs intertwined for maximum punishment, and “For the Expelled Ones” is a great example of this melding. I fucking love this track so much. It reminds me of Night in Gales, Toward the Twilight, and Thunderbeast albums. It’s just bludgeoning and gorgeous at the same time.

“The Traders Of Anathema” hits those Amorphis Tales From The Thousand Lakes vibes, while also throwing in a good helping of Paradise Lost as well, circa Draconian Times, especially in the chorus. It only elevates Children of Eve to taller heights, adding more depth to the mayhem swirling around.

With a running time of 43:22 Children of Eve doesn’t overstay its welcome. Nightfall is a force of nature, and they play like they are. “With Outlandish Desire to Disobey” is yet another melodic and insanely fun track. For a record that is about suffering and how we process grief, this is an exciting album. It’s rounded out with “The Makhaira of the Deceiver” and “Christian Svengali” the former track strides on pulsing double bass, picking up an impressive galloping rhythm and some critical strike blasting. The chorus is absolutely hypnotic, and the 3:13 point gets atmospheric as hell, and it’s intertwined with some more tasty riffs. The latter track has these bombastic choral bits in the midsection, and those moments are fist in the sky ones. Large and in charge riffs make Children of Eve Nightfall’s eleventh full-length a revelation to experience. Crystal clear production adds to this circle pit inducing Melodic Death Metal beast.

So if you like any of the bands I mentioned above, you’ll love Nightfall’s latest achievement Children of Eve. Go get it!

[Visit the band's website]

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