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Album number six for Sweden's Heavy/Power Metal masters Nocturnal Rites shows the guys riding high on a streak of superb releases. Hot on the heels of the immense Shadowland, Nocturnal Rites certainly had their work cut out for them. Although a solid wedge of the fan base sees this album as an inferior release, of course I beg to differ. The main issue I have with this is release is that I believe this is when Nocturnal started to use a formula. They must have realized how well Shadowland had worked for them and decided it would be a good idea to take the same approach – although I'm not one to complain, this is some killer stuff proving the band to be one of the more reliable Power Metal acts. Another point worth mentioning is that originally I picked up both this and Shadowland on the same day, shelving this one due to the initial awesomeness of the other album. What I found was over the years New World Messiah opened its gems up to me, slowly but surely in a true grower fashion. Therefore I'd recommend giving this album repeated listens, and before you know it all will be clear.

Everything I love about these guys it right here on New World Messiah: Anthemic choruses, majestic guitar harmonies, crunchy riffs, an awesome rhythm section, and of course blistering lead guitar courtesy of the fantastic Nils Norberg (who has unfortunately left the fold). In all honesty there isn't really a bad song on offer, no lame ass ballads to restrict the flow – just awesome crunchers to get the head flailing. Obviously I have my personal favorites on here but the best has to be "Egyptica" - Nocturnal Rites really deliver with this one, displaying everything cool you would imagine from the title, especially the Egyptian styled riffage. Another personal favorite is the sublime "Nightmare"; the intro sounds like something Kamelot would have put out circa The Fourth Legacy. From there onwards it's just pure Nocturnal Rites at their best. "Avalon" boasts a sweet chorus that will be stuck in your head for quite some time, certainly a fine Power Metal anthem for your playlists. Fortunately this is all killer material, I banged my head throughout and I guarantee you that if you're a Power Metal fan you will be doing the same. Overall this is a great release from one of the genre's finest. If you've yet to check Nocturnal Rites out I'd suggest you correct that; head straight over to your local metal store (or website) and pick this up, along with Shadowland and Afterlife – a purchase I'm sure you won't regret. Highly Recommended.