Artist: NOCTURNAL RITES
Album: "GRAND ILLUSION LTD. EDIT. (CD+DVD)"

Year: 2005
Media type: CD

For 10 years, Nocturnal Rites have been something of a trademark for Melodic Metal. Since the last album "New World Messiah" (2004), the Swedish quintet, haven't found much time to sleep. They joined Edguy for a 6-week tour all over Europe and made 3 videos ("Awakening", "Against The World" and "Avalon") – two of them directed by their drummer Owe Lingvall who established himself as an upcoming video producer. The 2005, 10th anniversary was celebrated with the re-release of the first two albums on the "Lost In Time" double CD and the "Demons At The Opera" live show where the band played with a 55-piece orchestra at the Umea opera house. The show was broadcasted on National Swedish TV and praised by worldwide media.

Nocturnal Rites are well known for not looking back and the new album "Grand Illusion" is no exception. The ten new songs sound much fresher than many younger bands. So take time out, for a lesson in high profile Melodic Metal from one of the best bands of the genre. "Grand Illusion" was recorded and mixed at Toontrack Studio in Umea, where the band live and a place where they’ve worked many times before. The album starts with the best example of clever and modern Metal songwriting, "Fools Never Die". "Never Trust" is a typical Nocturnal Rites song with great choruses, massive riffs and excellent guitar solo parts with the help of Stefan Elmgren from their friends Hammerfall. Even more guests are featured in the most surprising track on the album, "Cuts Like A Knife", that is probably the darkest song the band ever wrote. Jens Johansson (Stratovarius) is guesting on keyboards, Henrik Danhage (Evergrey) provides a guitar solo and the demonic screams come from the captain of the 'ship of nails', Kristoffer W. Olivius from Naglfar. But the most outstanding guest on "Grand Illusion" is the Swedish world champion of cross-country skiing (three times world cup gold), Per Elofsson, also from Umea, Sweden.

At a time where the sheer volume of mediocre Power Metal bands threaten overkill, it's refreshing to listen to Jonny Lindqvist who combines the best from Dio to Jon Bon Jovi with an unique strong voice, young guitar hero Nils Norberg and the mighty rhythm section of Fredrik Mannberg (guitar), Nils Eriksson (bass) and Owe Lingvall (drums). Nocturnal Rites started out in 1995 with the release of "In A Time Of Blood And Fire". The gifted singer Jonny Lindqvist joined them in 2000 for the "Afterlife" album. Since then the band toured Europe and Japan with the likes of Nevermore, Iron Savior, Overkill, Angel Dust, Hammerfall, Edguy or Labyrinth, and appeared on every big Metal festival in Europe (Dynamo, Wacken Open Air, Sweden Rock, Gates Of Metal etc.). The finished album will contain a limited bonus DVD enclosing the 3 videos from "New World Messiah", the brand-new "Fools Never Die" video, a "Making Of Grand Illusion" and extra footage from the "Demons At The Opera" show.

TRACKLISTING CD:

01. Fools Never Die
02. Never Trust
03. Still Alive
04. Something Undefined
05. Our Wasted Days
06. Cuts Like A Knife
07. End Of Our Rope
08. Never Ending
09. One By One
10. Deliverance

TRACKLISTING BONUS DVD:

01 Fools Never Die (Video)
02 Avalon (Video)
03 Against The World (Video)
04 Awakening (Video)

Making of “Grand Illusion”
Making of “Fools Never Die” (Video)
Demons Of The Opera (Documentary)

LINE-UP:

Jonny Lindqvist (vocals)
Fredrik Mannberg (guitar)
Nils Norberg (guitar)
Nils Erikssen (bass)
Mattias Bernhardsson (keyboards)
Owe Lingvall (drums)

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