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Encrypted is the twelfth studio effort from France's Nightmare and adds another new vocalist into the fold, their fourth in the last four albums. Newcomer Barbara Mogore has an excellent voice for the direction Nightmare is leaning toward this time around as she brings not only a clear, gritty style with a sultry quality but can also transition to harsh singing quite easily. Nightmare's heavy/power metal has some new dark, gothic elements which work very well in creating the kind of thick, mysterious atmosphere that can take a listener to a different place, most notably on the title track, which is easily my favorite on the album. I would call the songwriting throughout Encrypted above average and it is a very entertaining album, especially if a combination of Serious Black's melodic metal and Delain's symphonic/gothic music sounds like a winner.