NIGHTBEARER is a German Metal band, hailing from Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia. The kind of Metal thy play might be called Death Metal, but I feel that is a bit short-changed, and the moniker Deathcore should be added to that description, at least as far as their most recent album “Defiance” is concerned. NIGHTBEARER started life in 2017, and after an EP in 2018 (“Stories From Beyond”) and two studio albums (“Tales Of Sorcery And Death” in 2019 and “Ghosts Of A Darkness To Come” in 2022) they are back with their third album, and the first one with a short title. Like I mentioned, on the Metal Archives site the band is labelled Death Metal, and as “Defiance” is the first I have ever heard of then, I can’t tell you if that is the kind of music they played before this album.

Because there is no mistaking the fact that NIGHTBEARER has decided to add Metalcore influences into their Death Metal, creating their own brand of Deathcore. And although I wouldn’t consider myself a fan of this musical genre., I am thoroughly enjoying “Defiance” as an album. I like the combination of styles that has made me realise that if you do it well, it actually works. And it very pleasant and listenable when you start making it blare out of your speakers. The changing from very fast to slow rhythms, from angry undertones to a little more subdued ones is something to behold. And as “Defiance” has an outstanding production there are no notes, riffs or sounds that are being drowned out by others.

As for the songs themselves, they are really making me happy, having me to smile and nod my head to a musical genre that I never thought I would be liking as much as I am doing right now. My right foot has tried tapping along to the music on “Defiance”, but due to the intensity that NIGHTBEARER is demonstrating in the slow pure Death Metal parts as well during the faster or even at warp speed played Metalcore bits, I can only conclude that I have been bowled over by “Defiance”. Musically everything is just as how it should be, whilst the vocals that accompany the Metal sounds is so low and gravelly that it all makes sense from start to finish. I’m not going to tell you that “Defiance” is a groundbreaking album, or that NIGHTBEARER is going to rule the world in due time, but what I can tell you is that as an Extreme Metal afficionado you need to give this a proper chance.