The extreme Metal scene of Greece that arose in the early days of the 90s concomitantly with the rise of the Second Waves of Death Metal and Black Metal revealed a lot of great names; but as things aren’t as fair as they must, some Greek names stayed hidden into underground, and one of them is of NIGHTFALL, one of Greek pioneers, the first act of its country to sign to a foreign label, and that releases classic album as “Parade into Centuries” (1992), “Macabre Sunsets” (1993) and “Athenian Echoes” (1995) that every extreme Metal fan must hear once in life. Then what can be expected from “Children of Eve”, their 11th studio full-length?

Efthimis Karadimas (the band sole founding member left), Fotis Benardo (the band’s drummer, known for his works with NECROMANTIA, SEPTICFLESH, NIGHTRAGE and others) and Thimios Krikos (the guitarist of INNERWISH and a known producer and sound engineer) worked as a trio on the production and sound engineering at Devasoundz Studios, Athens (Greece), having the careful work of Jacob Hansen on the mixing and on the mastering (and who helped on the sound engineering as well) done at Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, Ribe (Denmark). These guys created a huge and outstanding sonority, because it impacts aggressively on the ears with perfect instrumental tunes, but always clean and defined to understand the sinuous and detailed music of the quartet. And to make things even better, the artwork of Eliran Kantor for the cover fits perfectly on what the music of the band displays.

In an extremely rigid sense, the quartet still delivers a form of Blackened Death Metal/Death Metal, but added with different influences gathered in these 34 years of existence. You’ll feel the Greek melodic sense that’s usual for extreme Metal acts of the country, along with some Gothic elements, intense Thrash/Death Metal riffing (and some Hard Rock touches can be heard on the solos, as on “I Hate”) and thunderous Death/Black Metal blast beats and double bass parts (but pay attention to the eerie orchestrations on the songs). And the shifts between rhythms, the fine technical approach don’t tear apart the hooking appeal of the songs (hear the chorus of “I Hate” and try not sing along on the second hearing), and the energy unleashed by this release is something insane and great. It's sinister, morbid, darkened, aggressive, it's a NIGHTFALL release!

One can understand that behind the lyrics of “Children of Eve” is a central concept, a scream of revolt against the religious trade of lust and power for the obedience of its followers. And such revolt and opposition become huge and intense as heard on “I Hate” (the first single of the album, a song filled with excellent eerie melodies and charming contrasts between clean vocals and growls), “The Cannibal” (a touch of Thrash Metal/Crossover can be heard in many moments, with the drumming and sinuous rhythms being supported by technical bass guitar parts), “Lurking” (the intense impact here is improved by excellent guitar parts, with rich riffs and arrangements), “Inside My Head” (the agony and melancholy are clearly heard on its slow paced parts, adorned with charming melodic touches), “Seeking Revenge” (some effects on its beginning adds an experimental touch before exploding on an aggressive moment with catchy and extreme grooves), “For the Expelled Ones” (the contrasts between aggressive parts and introspective takes is great, really great, and what grandiose chorus filled with gnashing melodies), “The Traders of Anathema” (here the band becomes with a more simple approach, with insane guitar solos supporting the piledriving rhythms and manic growls), “With Outlandish Desire to Disobey” (wow, what great contrasts between growls and screams with female voices), “The Makhaira of the Deceiver” (oppressive, intense and based on great rhythmic contrasts) and “Christian Svengali”. The revolt and anger drip from every song, so be prepared by a storm of aggressiveness.

“Children of Eve” is about to be released (it’ll be out on May 2nd, 2025), but it’s one of the best releases of the year. But for older fans of NIGHTFALL, it’s not a surprise.