Nightrider: Into The Future

Following on from 2020’s Rock Machine, New Hampshire outfit Nightrider return with their fourth album, Into The Future, a release that quite impressively still features the original line up of this band - Brent Enman (drums, vocals), Steve Labrecque (vocals, guitars), Ken Merrifield (guitars, backing vocals), and Bert Plante (bass, backing vocals) - which first came together back in 1979.

Thankfully Nightrider aren’t just here to live in the past and yes, while their sound contains elements of the NWOBHM, as well as the likes of Dokken, BOC, Uriah Heep and many others, they present it all in way that feels fresh and vibrant. What certainly doesn’t hinder that process are the excellent vocals throughout this album, the front duo of Labrecque and Enman often combining in a way that takes things into the realms of Tyketto and their frontman Danny Vaughn, although maybe not quite to those ridiculously high standards. What else comes across as the easy vibe of “Can’t Take My Heart� hits you, is just how natural it all feels - the band’s long time spent as a unit paying dividends as the songs grow and evolve with a real sense of time and place. With “Warlord� adding a more 70s infused aroma there’s also an interesting variance from song to song, although it’s the more high octane fare such as “Overflow�, “You’ve Still Got Time� or “Heart Has Died� that really find Into The Future hitting the sweet spot.

That said, the clever, spacey mood of “Desert Man� doesn’t go far wrong either, although if I had maybe one slight niggle, it would be that there are three slower songs placed one after another right at this album’s core. However, when you’ve got the powering riffs of “Nightrider� and the catchy but urgent “In The City� at your disposal, things stay pretty much on the straight and narrow.

When heavy rock music comes from the heart it hits with real authenticity - and make no mistake, this album comes straight from the heart of Nightrider. If you’re looking for a blast of infectious, believable hard rock delivered with real verve, prepare to step Into The Future. Hopefully it’s place that can provide many more albums like this.

Track Listing
1. Overflow
2. You’ve Still Got Time
3. Can’t Take My Heart
4. Warlord
5. Desert Man
6. Heart Has Died
7. Nightrider
8. In The City
9. Son Of The Night

Added: May 15th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Nightrider @ bandcamp
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Language: english

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