Nightingale: Rock Hard Live

Originally conceived as a one off project, Nightingale have now gone on to release eight studio albums. Rock Hard Live is the band's first live recording, capturing their show at the 2016 Rock Hard Festival in Germany. Falling into the hard progressive rock category, live it feels like the band hit as more of a straight forward heavy rock outfit with a hint of pomp and a slice of AOR. It's a keen mix as the brothers Swanö – band leader Dan on vocals and guitar and his brother Dag on keyboards and guitar – deliver a set of songs stretching right back over their band's twenty-plus years.

With a gritty, honest and inviting sound, numbers such as the hook laden and upbeat "Chasing The Storm Away", which quickly gets under your skin and proves a decidedly rewarding itch to scratch as its refrain swirls round your mind, and "Into The Light" with its more forceful attack, are delivered with real verve and passion. With the band rounded out by bassist Erik Oskarsson and drummer Tom Björn, what really comes across as the slower, harder hitting "Revival" (from The Closing Chronicles album, which was celebrating a twentieth anniversary as the band performed) and hugely atmospheric "Nightfall Overture", is the tightness and precision that shows itself right across this release. Every note is perfect and every beat delivered with real precision and yet it's the character and mood of the songs themselves that carry this set. Unlike many live albums these days, Rock Hard Live actually sounds live, the crowd well placed in the mix to feel real and add atmosphere, but not so blatantly in your face that proceedings begin to sound doctored. In fact Dan has to ask the crowd to make as much noise as they can for 30 seconds 'like Kiss Alive II!' so the band can re-tune their instruments without total silence descending on the show! A request the assembled throng are more than happy to comply with.

I've been aware of Dan Swanö from the countless bands he's been involved with over the years (Edge Of Sanity, Witherscape etc) and his in demand production work, but Rock Hard Live is only my second encounter with his band Nightingale. It won't however be my last, this thoroughly convincing live outing an excellent example of what you can expect from this classy, underrated act. I'd also guess long term fans of the band will be delighted by what's revealed.

See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!

Track Listing
1. Nightfall Overture
2. A Raincheck On My Demise
3. Hideaway
4. Forevermore
5. Into The Light
6. Chasing The Storm Away
7. Revival
8. Steal The Moon
9. Black Tears

Added: January 21st 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Nightingale on Facebook
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Language: english

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