ALBUM REVIEWS

Nightvision
AS THE LIGHTS GO DOWN
ROCKSECTOR RECORDS 6.4.09
@www.vanguard-online.co.uk


The opening track off this album screams Maiden at you and rock stereotypes are satisfied from the outset with a vocal scream less than 20 seconds into the opening track ‘After dark’. I get the impression that the metal genre tick list will be fully completed by the end of this album.

Vocally, the nearest comparison I can think of is Phil Conalane from ‘Million Dollar Reload’ who are impressive live and I suspect it’s out in the clubs and bars is where Nightvision will excel but can they deliver on (showing my age) vinyl?

The jury’s still out of that one; the album rattles through the tracks never deviating from the same vein of loud guitar riffing, backed up with gravelly vocals and battling against the world lyrics. Notable tracks include ‘Something Better’ with its aggressive rhythm sections but I could do without the high pitch vocal intro though. ‘Enough Of You’ is my stand out track but I always was a sucker for a slow burning rock song.

The remaining tracks continue to lean heavily on traditional rocks sounds and titles such as ‘Love Ain’t Cheap’, ‘Nightmare’ and ‘Enough Of You’ don’t really come up with too many surprises. What this band deserves is some decent radio airtime to generate a ground swell of support and expose their talents to a wider audience to generate the importance for bigger and better things.

This album was` recently described as boring in the music press and not relevant in the post Nirvana world. I completely object to people jumping on the ‘not as good since Grunge’ bandwagon which is nearly 20 years old now, especially as they claimed in the same publication that ‘Nevermind’ was a debut recording, check out ‘Bleach’ and no, not the stuff under your sink!

I would never diss anyone who is making music that they believe in and Nightvision may not be breaking away from well established formulas but it’s a solid debut and should establish a musical platform from which to build. They just need to find that elusive catch in their music to lift themselves higher commercially but destiny is in their very capable hands.

Simon Mulholland

www.nightvision1000.co.uk