I must start with a confession, I have only my native English as a language, and there are some who would say I'm barely fluent in that.  So reviewing a band such as NACHTSCHATTEN who write and sing in German could be an issue, but I say no.  They are not the only band I've reviewed or really dig their music, the obvious one being RAMMSTEIN, but also ASENBLUT whom I recently reviewed, and loved, good music, and great Metal in particular can transcend all barriers, language, race, creed, anything. OK there are some who would say you need to understand the lyrics to get to understand the meaning the band gave the song.  And on some levels I agree, but on an almost primal level it is possible to have the music stir something in the pit of your stomach and make you bang your head, pump your fist or throw yourself into the mosh pit, throw them horns and ROCK.

NACHTSCHATTEN's brand of Melodeath does that.  Having been formed in 2008 in Karlsruhe, they have one full length album under their belt from 2015, and have toured the clubs and festivals relentlessly honing their trade until the 2020 release of this 6 song EP, and a killer set of tracks it is too. Opening track "Verspiegelte Glaser" sets the agenda early on, grabbing you by the balls and not letting go, this mid-paced rocker with its underlying beat as laid down by the drums and bass driving the song along, and the guitar attack drives the song home, right between the eyes, which with Google translating the title to Mirrored Glasses is somewhat appropriate.

I don't know why it is, but German seems to lend itself to a guttural growled vocal. And Daniel Wengle's delivery is amazing, both in its menace, with sufficient growl and snarl, but its clarity, I may not be able to understand the words, but you can pick up on the nuance of the delivery without problem, as is illustrated on "Denkmal" (monument), which as well as some monumental twin lead guitar (sorry could not resist), has a nearly industrial feel to it.  Whereas "Krone der Schopfung" (Crown Of Creation) has a much more old school feel to it, and the rhythmical nature of the riffs throughout, and a truly spectacular solo make this my track of the EP.

So weirdly track 4 "Verdammnis" (Damnation) is my least favorite.  It isn't that I don't like it, but it wasn't as immediate and grabbing as others, perhaps with more listens it will prove a grower. "Leuchfeuer" (Beacon) is in equal parts the most modern sounding song, with its piano refrain and acoustic outro and time changes, but also the most old school Thrash sounding passage, it came close to being too much, but kept itself in check, and delivered a song equal to being the title track of the EP.

Which brings us to "Stahlerne Göttin" (Steel Goddess), a fine closing track, mirroring the pace and tone of the opening song, again grabbing your bits to get your attention, just in case you were flagging and gets you over the line, truly satisfied. So in conclusion one song no quite as good as the others and really knowing if they are singing about being in love with next door's cat, or more subjects more suited for Metal, prevent this EP getting the perfect 10s.

And if I was next door's cat, I'd be worried.