Band: THE NIGHTMARE STAGE
Country: USA
Title: When the Curtain Closes
Label: Pure Steel Records
Year: 2019
Style: Progressive Power Metal

Review:
Do you know those times when you start listening to an album, the instrumental part starts and you say "ok, that's what I was expecting, this is what I want to hear, I'm good", but then you realize the voice didn't kick in yet and you start worrying it might not be what you expect, or even worse, it might be a total flop? Well, this happened to me with this The Nightmare Stage's second album, since I wasn't familiar with the band one bit, I was anxiously waiting for the vocalist to start singing, and around the end of minute 1 it starts, and it's a bliss, it's so good it not only complements the instrumental part but actually propels it into the stratosphere. This guy, Scott Oliva has such a good voice it's amazing: clean, powerful, melodic, perfectly controlled, versatile and expressive. Damn! On the instrumental part we have a rich and massive delivery of riffs with notable variety, a bass line that doesn't stand out through high volume or solo moments but you can constantly feel it's there and perfectly supporting and enhancing the heaviness of the arrangements, a drums section that sounds perfectly organic and excellently produced delivering complex, intricate structures, and last but not least a sumptuous, omnipresent keyboard that takes care of the atmospheric, majestic aspect of this band's music. I for one am very impressed by what The Nightmare Stage delivered here, and even if this is not a groundbreakingly original material, it offers exactly what you'd expect from a good, interesting Power Metal album, nothing more, nothing less.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 9/10

Contact:
facebook.com/TheNightmareStage
puresteel-records.com