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Richard Lawley has decided to take time out from music.
We thank him hugely for his contribution over the last 3 albums and
We are happy to announce that Harry Hanson will be picking up the sticks and replacing Richard on drums.
We will be recording the first half of our new album with him in the coming weeks.
The 2022 release of “Hope To Be There” sees the completion of an unprecedented Nightblade album trilogy,
The first of their triple-pronged, relentless rock revelation came in 2020 with the release of “Ignorance Is Bliss”, then 2021 brought us “Unknown Territories” and in 2022 “Hope To Be There” arrived.
Even the pandemic-enforced downtime could not stem the tide that is Nightblade’s creative flow, resulting in this album riding on the crest of their creative wave of the last three years.
In defining their sound, the output of this album was fast and furious, resulting in 12 tracks that give it a running time of over an hour.
Nightblade always enjoy creating diverse albums, they thrive on that “keeping everybody guessing” element whilst maintaining their flow.
“We are proud that ‘Hope To Be There’ is the fitting end to the trilogy.” says vocalist Mark Crosby.
The addition of guitarist Chris Seldon reveals a new edge, adding a different dimension to the Nightblade sound.
Nightblade have evolved in to a five-piece force of alternative rock creativity– and they are heading your way!
“My first memory of wanting to learn guitar came from when my cousin showed me iron maiden on a holiday in France 2006. 16 years later, my passion and curiosity towards music has lead me to discovering many different genres of music, inspiring me further.
Powerplay Issue 254 August 2022
Album Review p. 31:
Whose bright idea was it to put the absolute banger of a track that is ‘Erratic’ as the opening track on the album eh? Eh? Seriously, I have a job to do here. I’m supposed to be reviewing the whole album… and thirty minutes in I’ve played the opening track at least eight times, and nothing else. That’s how good it is. If the idea is to hit the ground running, then watch out Usain Bolt as Nightblade are coming up fast behind you.
Nightblade have expanded this time around, their third album in three years proving that if you put your mind to it, you can make the most of curveballs thrown at you and be tremendously productive. The latest sees the band expand with new guitarist Chris Seldon and it’s his addition, I think, that makes this their most evolved release to date. Since moving into the more modern/alt rock space, away from the more metal orientated releases at the beginning of their career, the band have truly embraced a modern, forward looking sound that suits both them and the world at large.
Vocalist Mark Crosby cites Shinedown as an act that the band look to and respect, and when mixed with the likes of both Muse (on tracks like ‘If Only You Could Know’) and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder (check out ‘Something Inside’) we get an album that not only crosses multiple genres and fan bases but also ensures that the band should get noticed by fans of any of the above acts and perhaps be considered for tour support slots.
If you’ve yet to be convinced, there are hints of Alice In Chains in there as well and maybe a dash of Alter Bridge, but ultimately Nightblade are carving their own path and creating a sound that over time will become uniquely theirs. There are too few bands out there willing to do that, so that alone gets an extra mark on the score from me.
POWERPOINTS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Review by Adrian Hextall
