NIGHT – High Tides / Distant Skies (2020)

Even the cover gives it away. Then, if you were unsure, the picture of the band (look them up online) underlines it. Goodness me, there’s even nine songs on here (like there always was in the ’70s / LP’s). What more do you need?
If you can, try and imagine a band that supported Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, Judas Priest in 1978, then was cryogenically frozen straight after, then found in a cave in deepest, darkest Sweden, still jamming their songs?
That band is NIGHT.
And their new album ”High Tides / Distant Skies” packs the best retro Hard Rock we heard in a while.

“Shadow Gold,” the opening track, is a perfect album summary. This could very easily be pulled from the most recent High Spirits album. A groovy rhythm line backs a catchy vocal melody, all with a familiar and engaging arrangement. Heck, the song even comes complete with a harmonized guitar solo and a drum solo, which is the epitome of the 70’s.

“Burning Sky” fancies a go at some NWOBHM sounds, with its driving hard rock beat and almost proto-metal guitar lines. The harmony vocals set this song apart, though, as they do often throughout ”High Tides – Distant Skies”. Both guitarists – Oskar Andersson and Sammy Ouirra – handle vocals, and yes, at times they take some getting used to, but their overall tone has an undeniable charisma, and the harmonies are spot on.

They follow this with “Crimson Path”, which shows the versatility of the four piece (or more accurately, perhaps, the breadth of their parents’ record collections) because this one does away with the Thin Lizzy, Maiden type sounds and gets all laid back. I don’t think Mark Knopfler and Fleetwood Mac ever did a duet. They more or less do here.

Mention of Lizzy was pertinent to many of these too. The way the twin guitars of Oskar and Sammy mesh together is positively Gorham and Robertson-esque, but on stuff like “Falling In The Black” there’s a definite disco thing too. Not in some “I Was Made for Loving You” Kiss type way, but certainly in a glitterball and miniskirt in a swanky New York nightspot one.

“Lost in a Dream” invokes Blue Öyster Cult to genuine effect, while single “Under the Moonlight Sky” does the same, albeit in a completely different manner. Both songs have that sort of geeky coolness the BÖC are famous for. “Give Me to the Night” is a fast-paced rocker that features machine-gun riffing and vocals that more than keep up.

The unpretentious charm that exudes from Night is what sets them apart from other retro-rockers. One really gets the feeling that these guys don’t give a crap what others think; they’re playing what they love and if we love it or not, it’s up to us.
Night’s ‘High Tides / Distant Skies’ is a charming slice of retro classic rock that I don’t really find myself yearning for, but at the same time can’t bring myself to turn it off when it pops up on the playlist. Albums like this one could make September the feel-good month of this weird year.
HIGHLY Recommended

 

01 – Shadow Gold
02 – Burning Sky
03 – Crimson Past
04 – Falling in the Black
05 – Running Away
06 – Here on My Own
07 – Lost in a Dream
08 – Give Me to the Night
09 – Under the Moonlight Sky

Oskar Andersson – Guitar, Vocals
Sammy Ouirra – Guitar, Vocals
Joseph Max – Bass
Linus Fritzson – Drums

 

Pre Order:
freighttrain.se/night-_-high-tides-_-distant-skies-cd
www.amazon.com/High-Tides-distant-Skies-Night/dp/B08B7G8F1Z