Nightrage

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“A Report on Insight and Endurance Proven by Long-Lasting Melodic Death Metal”

Thanks so much to blog naver Hee-pil Heo and Paranoid zine for the review of our show in Seoul South Korea.

“A Report on Insight and Endurance Proven by Long-Lasting Melodic Death Metal”
Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024, 6:00 PM
Venue: Hongdae West Bridge Live Hall
Reported and written by Hee-pil Heo

“NIGHTRAGE is a representative of Greek melodic death metal. At the beginning of the 21st century, the band’s leader, guitarist Marios Iliopoulos started the band in Thessaloniki, central Macedonia, and has been running vigorously for 24 years. After laying the foundation through three years of demo work and releasing their first full-length album ([Sweet Vengeance]) in 2003, the path to their tenth album [Remains Of A Dead World], released in the first half of 2024, was straight. The theme of ‘the depth of human inner life’, which corresponds to the previous work [Abyss Rising] from 2022, in which the abyss was the background of the album, attracts attention, but surprisingly, the new album expands that theme to a more robust sound scale and overwhelms the listener.

I think the addition of Konstantinos Togas the frontman of the merciless and persistent screaming band ‘Herta’, may have played a role in that. Of course, the serial riffs and melodies of composer Marios and guitarist Magnus Soderman are the basis. And the writing skills of bassist Francisco Escalona, who wrote the lyrics along with Konstantinos, also contribute to the rich flavor of the album.

Nightrage played a leading role in revitalizing the scene with this strong musical sincerity. The band also has close ties to Korea, having participated in the Daejeon Club Live in 2012 and the Busan Rock Festival in 2019. As if this friendship was demonstrated once again, Nightrage visited Korea for the third time last October as part of a new release tour and arrived at the WestBridge Live Hall in front of Hongdae, Seoul.

This was also the result of being selected as the headliner for HELLRIDE FEST, a live show planned by metal label Union Steel in the second half of each year.
All members of Nightrage, who appeared familiar from the moment leading up to the performance, were cheerful and thorough. Perhaps that’s why the band showed a flawless appearance in all of the interlude interviews, rehearsals, and the main stage, which dominates the crucial time of HELLRIDE. Just as nothing can be solved with knowledge alone, Nightrage’s performance, which properly demonstrated the special advantage

For example, Francisco’s downpicking, which he said was influenced by dark materials used in art, including the grotesque abstract paintings of Francis Bacon (1909.10.28 ~ 1992.04.28, a 20th-century British expressionist painter born in Ireland), calmly supported the set list. , the twin combination of Magnus and Marios, who alternated between both sides of the stage and made eye contact with the audience, while showing riffs and solos that were not out of sync at all.
The WestBridge was completely filled.

Meanwhile, the firepower of drummer Fotis Benardo Giannakopoulos, who adjusted the BPM at the right time and focused on the sound of the crash and ride cymbals, also made its presence clear. The drum solo that seemed like a speed battle in the middle of the performance was clearly a rhythm section that proved where the skeleton of this live was. Additionally, Konstantinos’ vocals boasted the power to draw the audience into the stage throughout. It functioned like a blue saw blade, and the vocal strength was vividly expressed as if the live performance in Japan before visiting Korea had no effect.

Despite his veteran appearance, it was enough to give the impression that Konstantinos’s physical stamina, who was still in his early 30s, was also a great help. As Marios said in a pre-interview, the newly formed line-up could be said to be close to perfection, and as a result, the intention that this visit to Korea would be a performance that would thrill the audience was clearly met.
Starting with ‘Euphoria Within Chaos’, which is also the prelude to the new album, Nightrage went on the offensive throughout the entire encore, and thanks to their unwavering gestures, they were already showing the spirit of fighting with their music itself. At the same time, he induced endless circular slams towards the audience, creating a sense of solidarity with the audience, united by the barrier of sound. This kind of stage exudes the natural energy of a live performance without interruption by making the participants’ movements rather than the gaze of the observer. In that context, it would not be excessive to say that Nightrage’s arrival at WestBridge was like an ‘all-out genre war’ that took place in Korea in 2024.

The embers of all the songs were extinguished, and Konstantinos and Francisco simultaneously raised the fan-made Taegeukgi commemorating their visit to Korea, bringing Nightrage’s spectacular comeback show to its finale. After the performance ended, I was able to see Nightrage greeting to me and the audiences again with friendly and reassuring smiles, and I was able to happily remember that there is harmony that is never dispersed among them.

Just like the band’s motto and slogan, life is hard, but Nightrage is even harder (“Life is hard, but Nightrage is harder”), digging into the gap by confronting life and the world. It is also the will of those who want to become one with Nightrage and continuously overcome the arduous and fierce world.

The 2024 Hellride will be remembered as a meaningful live performance in that the return of Nightrage generously provided vitality.”