L-R – Caleb Jose Tardio – Keyboards/Synthesizer, Igor Panasewicz – Guitar, Isidro “Spy” Soto – Drums, Jacob St. Amand – Bass, Benjamin Pitts – Vocals/Guitar
Photo Credit – Josh Massara
NightWraith, the progressive melodic death metal band from Denver, USA presents their latest and new offering “Divergence”. An album featuring eight original tracks and a cover version of Pink Floyd’s “Us and Them”, the full-length has a lot of depth to it and is not a traditional metal record.
Vocalist guitarist Benjamin Explains further:
“We hope people can appreciate the risks we took on this record. We wanted to really kick it up a notch for anyone who already knows our music since they might be expecting that from us. We also don’t want to turn off any potential new listeners, so it was kind of a fine line between what current fans expect from us, and what brand-new listeners are willing to keep an open mind for. There’s really something for everyone on this album, whether it’s 80’s style guitar riffs, blast beats, electric piano, or guttural vocals.”
“Divergence” takes listeners on a sonic journey. There are many layers to it and the band’s idea was for people to hear something new with each listen. The album is intended to lift you up with major melodies, evoke emotion with harmonic minors, and harken overall feelings of nostalgia and hope. ‘Divergence’ often utilizes classic songwriting structures (verse/chorus/bridge/lead). Each instrument is not overly complicated, but when layered on top of each other, the music has a lot of depth. The drums are fast with lots of big rock fills and the choice to use fast double bass and blast beats was meant to give the album a driving, more ‘classic’ metal sound. The keyboards/synthesizer tones are the icing on the cake and are what truly color the album in a nostalgic-sounding way. The melodies that were written to lay on top of the guitars are what give the songs the musical complexity that can be rare within the heavy metal genre. There are also a lot of solos on this album, but none of them are overly ‘shreddy’ and are meant to serve the song, not the player.
The band also stepped up the production on this album by recruiting some talented guest musicians to contribute and added extra rhythmic layers using acoustic guitar and percussive instruments like cowbells and shakers. Then stepped up the production again by involving producer Zack Ohren (Machine Head, Immolation) to mix and master the record, which gave it a top-shelf-sounding production quality.
Listen to the full album stream for “Divergence” via its premiere on Decibel Magazine HERE.
Due out on September 13, 2024 from What’s Left Records, “Divergence” is available for album pre-order at https://nightwraith.bandcamp.com/
Vinyl pre-order – https://whatsleftrecords.bigcartel.com/product/nightwraith-divergence-lp-clear-red-vinyl
Music Video – “Whispers of Dragonflies” – https://youtu.be/6GbvCjvV0Lc
Music Video – “Perpetual Night” –https://youtu.be/bd49beja8YI
Track Listing:
1. Fruitless (5:15)
2. Perpetual Night (5:13) ft. guest Cole Rudy – Pedal Steel Guitar
3. One Flower (5:14) ft. guest Andreas Wild – Baritone Saxophone
4. Whispers of Dragonflies (5:27) ft. guest Kelly Schilling – Concert Flute
5. Invocation (2:19) ft. guest Joey Truscelli – Guitar Solo
6. Fallen Kings and Queens (4:20) ft. guests Dan Phelps & Chuck French – Backup Vocals
7. Nothing Left to Lose (3:24)
8. Divergence (5:20) ft. guests Jeremy Portz & Xander Galvin-Soto – Auxiliary Percussion
9. Us and Them (bonus Pink Floyd cover) (5:18)
Album Length: 42:08
More info: Nightwraithband.com | Facebook.com/nightwraithband | Instagram.com/nightwraithband | Youtube.com/@nightwraithband5142 | Twitter.com/nightwraithband
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