Nightingale - Alive Again


Year of Release: 2003
Label: The End Records
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 49:29:00

Music is emotion. But 300 words are not enough to capture the emotion of the fourth studio album of Dan Swanö's Nightingale. This time, Dan and Tom Nouga (whose real name is Dag Swanö and is the brother of Dan) teamed up with Erik Oskarsson (ex-Godsend) on bass and Tom Björn (Memory Garden) on drums. After having worked together on live sets, they started to write the new Nightingale album.

Alive Again is a balanced album. A solid and very steady drum sound as well as bass. No guitar player who is dominating the songs with his solos, yet still having a prominent role. The guitars sound a bit technical, but melodic with tasteful solo parts and the keyboards are there, but not always on top. The sound of Alive Again shows that these guys know how to play together. Production is excellent! This album is definitely the best Nightingale album with a variety of styles. From the rocking "Shadowman" to the ZZ Top-like "Falling," with a great guitar solo from Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon). "Into The Light" and "State Of Shock" are straightforward basic hard rock, with the latter (according to Tom Nouga) being the hardest Nightingale track ever.

It seems no progressive rock or metal album can do without at least one epic song on it. "Eternal" is an almost 12 minute song that took almost a year to complete. This is a song you can lose yourself in! Just play it, close your eyes and lie down. It is a delight to listen to Dan's voice. I can tell you, this disc did not get out of my CD player easy!

I could go on in detail about all of the tracks on this album, but you better listen to this album yourself. It does not matter which genre of music is your favourite, death metal or progressive rock: this album is a must have!

Similar bands: ZZ Top, Queensryche, Dream Theater

[This review originally appeared January 2003 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]


Tracklisting:
Recollections / Shadowman / The Glory Days / Falling / Into The Light / Eternal / State Of Shock / The One / Shadowland Serenade / Forever And Never

Musicians:
Dan Swan? - vocals, guitars, keyboards
Tom Nouga - guitars, keyboards
Erik Oskarsson - bass
Tom Bj?rn - drums

Guests:

Arjen Lucassen - guitar solo (4)

Discography:
The Breathing Shadow (1995)
The Closing Chronicles (1996)
I (2000)
Alive Again (2003)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin SE

Added: January 17th 2005
Reviewer: Marcel Haster
Score:
Artist website: www.swano.com
Hits: 2605
Language: english

  

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