Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Imagine being able to stand right next to Concorde as its starts its engines, or being inside a military helicopter flying over hostile territory whilst the likes of Candlemass are performing inside…then turn it up a notch and add some great imagery from some very interesting and cool lyrics and the result is Maltese Doom Metal band Nomad Son and their exceptional album The Darkening.

Concorde, now defunct but still in the hearts of all who ever saw her fly, would surely bow her nose in respect to this great band, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the fleet attempt to shuffle a wing or two if it was ever to fly again over the Maltese capital of Valetta. Some things are impossible but the thought is there and for good reason, The Darkening screams with the power of a thousand locomotives, it roars with the self-belief of a band aware of the heritage they have inherited, both in terms of the music from the likes of Candlemass, Black Sabbath and Death and the rich deep history of a very proud Island nation.

Nomad Son’s vocalist Jordan Yves Cutajar not only captures the vibe, the atmosphere needed to rank alongside the very best of the genre but the pulsating, animated viciousness of grinding guitar and Edward Magri’s drums are paramount to the sound, they breathe metal, they sweat the very heart of steel and beautifully crafted blackness. Throughout the album there is a sense of urgency, a state of euphoric self-imposed pressure in which they all revel like minstrels at a party for the end of the world.

Tracks such as the astonishing Light Bearer, the brilliant The Devil’s Banquet and the despotic maddening feel of Caligula are amongst some of the finest Metal songs ever laid down, they blister to the touch making the stereo too hot to handle whilst they are playing leaving the listener no choice but to sit back and rage along with the band at a world that at times just doesn’t see the disease that some men bring to the table. Nomad’s Son see it, they make music about it, they feel the intensity and they are pretty awesome, a great find in a sea of troubles.

Ian D. Hall