Swedish melodic metal veterans NOCTURNAL RITES prepare to release their long awaited album, fittingly titled, "Phoenix," later this month.  The band, which appears on AFM Records, has been on a ten year hiatus since releasing their 2007's album "The 8^th Sin." Already making its way through the airwaves, NOCTURNAL RITES released the album's first single, "Before We Waste Away," late last June. "Before We Waste Away," track 2, is a commercially charged song that delivers a steady mixture of full-size harmonies and big chords, finding it in the likes of HAMMERFALL, RIOT and DREAM THEATER.

Track 1, "A Heart as Black as Coal," opens up the album with a mission to usher NOCTURNAL RITES back to form. There is a tight intro and post-chorus arrangement that does draw you in. Strong harmonies and a real dirty Zakk Wylde guitar sound, but I really feel like I am listening to some version of DREAM THEATER. Track 4, "Repent My Sins," has a serious STRYPER vibe to it. Given the title, the seemingly spiritual lyrical content and the Michael Sweet-type vocals, this song could quite easily appear on the Christian rockers' next record. Track 10, "Used to Be God," offers an up tempo, modern groove where the guitar rhythms tend to stand out a bit more than the other tracks. There is a DISTURBED-like quality to the main guitar riff, providing a needed edge to what at times is almost non-existent in the other tracks. "Welcome to the End," track 11 and the album's closing song, has a strong Power Metal base to it with an unyielding, machine gun attack from the drums as the guitars chunk out a steady flow of chord chops.

Overall, the album is well crafted; solid performances, catchy vocal harmonies, preciously constructed and defined solos and very well produced from a recording standpoint.  Every inch of this record was meticulously honed, every gap tightened up and every aspect polished to a shimmering glow. However, even with all that, the album feels like it's been so well crafted in the image of countless other albums we have already heard before. There is not much in the way of fresh here in terms of breaking new musical ground... it's predictable and highly comparable in many respects... but not really better than what we already have. I understand that in today's market it is very difficult to stand out and be unique; there are countless bands and artists all trying to do the same thing. To make it work and be working, many bands take a tried and true path to guarantee some level of success with the hopes of making their mark and seeing their dreams come to fruition. Why reinvent the wheel... give them what they want. Better to have their foot in the door than to have it proverbially slammed in their faces. It does make sense.  But it leaves the listeners with little choice. That being said, I did enjoy the album as it nestled into a universal comfort zone of tones and musical outcomes... without a doubt, a place that will be shared by many others.