It was somewhere around Greek Easter in 2004 that I went to see a concert in Thessaloniki with a bundle of Greek bands under the headline of the Power Metal veterans SARISSA. That night though there was one specific band that impressed me much and for me was the highlight of that live performance. That band is DARK NIGHTMARE from Grevena, a town in the region of western Macedonia in Greece. "Beyond the Veils of Winter" is the second effort and follower to the Epic Metal masterpiece "The Human Liberty". My only question when I put the record into play was this ... "Can it be as awesome as their debut?"

"The Battlefield Calling My Name" kicks in with epic synths that freeze the atmosphere and preps the listener for the oncoming battle. Indeed a small bridge of acoustic guitars leads the way to tempo switching guitars and epic metal at its best. Yannis Papadimitriou's theatrical voice is top notch and binds as tight as ever with the rest of the musicians. Acoustic guitars and synths introduce the homonymous song "Beneath The Veils Of Winter" and another epic anthem is served straight at the face, "Are We Free?", swifts to  a NWOBHM direction and the band is in great mood delivering Metal at its best. "Living A Lie" while not being as awesome as the rest of the songs is still a very nice Power Metal number and leads to "The Art Of Dreaming", which served as the instrumental bridge on the record. Great acoustic guitars and epic atmosphere leads to "Sometimes" a slow paced song in the trademarked style of the band and the battle still rages. "Tears" is a mellow song of unspeakable emotions and vibe. Papadimitriou is giving an outstanding performance and the song is bound to stick in your head. The last original song of the record is another epic metal onslaught and the band closes triumphantly this record with "The Voyage".Last but not least is a cover of the famous URIAH HEEP song "The Wizard". The band doesn't deviate from the original song but still gives a more than decent performance to a favorite amongst Metal fans song.

Through those nine songs the band is in great spirits keeping high standards both in musicianship and in performance. And no matter how good compositions a band might have nothing is fully accomplished until the singer lays the vocal lines. DARK NIGHTMARE should be grateful that have such a distinct and theatrical voice that separates them from the rest of the bands. The production of the record does justice to all the musicians and is handled by Tasos Karapazoglou in Nemesis Studios in Kavala.

If you would ask me to tell if there are any great Epic Metal bands in Greece I would name two. One is BATTLEROAR and the other one is DARK NIGHTMARE. And while the first are veterans in the genre and a well established band, DARK NIGHTMARE is an upcoming and not so much known band. But with their second record they are establishing themselves as one of the most promising names in the epic metal genre. Having a distinct sound and managing to establish their own identity amongst thousands of bands that repeat the same and the same things DARK NIGHTMARE is a promising force in a battlefield of fallen heroes. And to answer my question in the introduction it is not as good as the first one and that is just because the first one is a very special record. Nevertheless they deserve nothing less than...