Review Summary: "I watch you die, I crave the fright in your eyes"
"All earth was but one thought, and that was death
Immediate and inglorious; and the pang
Of famine fed upon all entrails, men
Died, and their bones were tombless as their flesh”
Deep below the earth, an ineffable darkness holds creatures of inhumanity and perversion willing to shred the flesh of the living. It’s a place of pure malice and misery filled with murderous cries of the weak. As the gates of hell swing forth, you are crushed with the opening riff of 'Sacrificial Mutilation' and you’re hastily invited “upon a thousand ghouls” to be dragged below to embark on Nightfear’s lyrical journey through the depths of
Cryptasm’s hell. The band flawlessly interpolates death metal and hardcore with break-neck drum beats, primal vocal performances, and hardcore riffs that bleed into melodic solos which plaque the ears of the living and pull them further into the abyss. One can immediately draw reference to contemporaries such as
Slayer or
Carcass as some tracks formulaically mimic their song structures yet they fail to take away the moments of pure carnal indulgence that metalheads and punk rockers will likely be unable to resist. Clear standouts 'Sacrificial Mutilation', 'The Blade' and 'What satan Sees' range from thrashy hardcore riffs and melodic guitar solos and drums that pulse from punk rhythms to double bass beats and guttural screams which propel the vicious tone of the band’s tight instrumentals. The creatures of Nightfear hold their grip till the bitter end and leave you fearing another attack as 'We Bite' begins, an appropriate take on
The Misfits track. This cover shows off the band’s hardcore and punk sensibilities whilst paying proper homage to what is surely an influence to their overall sound. Nightfear leave you lusting for a full length LP of hardcore viciously blended with death metal and lyrics hearkening the end of days.
