Tetra-fold (8-panel) Digipak with black tray and a 12-page booklet attached on the third inner panel.
Unfortunately for the die-hard fans of early NIGHTFALL, yearning for epic Death Metal and heavy metal accents with valiant eyebrows, sculpted to prolong a conquering gaze across a plain enlivened by atmospheric peaks, the NIGHTFALL of "Diva Futura" dashed their hopes. Note that the dismal "Lesbian Show" had already dampened the enthusiasm of those who suspected the band had strayed a bit. The album with the mauve cover was therefore hardly a mere step aside, but rather the beginning of a new musical movement, prompting both geographical and human exile: NIGHTFALL disbanded, and now only the duo Efthimis Karadimas and Mike Galiatsos remain, the two having also settled in Germany to recruit new members. "Diva Futura," while not resembling its predecessor (except perhaps for the ponderous "Pleasure" and its TYPE O NEGATIVE-esque, slightly drunken vocals), has little more in common with the rich sound of the band's first four albums. It heralds the birth of a new NIGHTFALL, immersing itself in a powerful yet more polished metal sound than the somewhat uninspired "Lesbian Show," with tones that are new to the band, and gothic in some respects. At times, one is reminded of the depressive tones of SENTENCED's "Frozen" (a manifesto on "Diva"), very occasionally of a sweetened version of PARADISE LOST from the 93-95 period ("Some Deaths Take For Ever," the rather catchy "My Traitor's Kiss," a sort of slightly hoarse "Once Solemn"), and one welcomes with curiosity a more pronounced presence of keyboards and samplers (the intro and the sleepy lulls of "Licked One's Iced Lips," a hypnotic "Lowve"). This opens up new avenues of exploration for this band in search of musical rebirth.
However, this rebirth is rather chaotic, and NIGHTFALL seems to be scattering its energies, like a sonic alchemist summoning good fortune. As if they were searching for a viable solution to the problem of a still undefined stylistic mixture, by indulging in a certain versatility. The listener certainly gains in a wealth of flavors, but the band never quite manages to fully convince, nor even to establish a consistent and very clear direction. There are even a few tracks that are downright off-kilter, such as the fast-paced "Picture Me" with its sparkling melodic riff, marred by the unabashed vocals that are neither clear nor raw, lacking power and, in any case, far too prominent for my ears, thus disfiguring a potential single. I'm also at odds with Efthimis Karadimas, who, with "Diva Futura," concocts a veritable little nightmare for my poor ears, incapable of showing the slightest tolerance for his bitter vocals, disguised by superfluous and incessant effects. This does nothing to help me find common ground with this throat that seriously lacks charm, even without technological frills. Only the rare vestiges of death metal vocals lead me to offer a somewhat lukewarm opinion. Otherwise, it's a real waste, sabotaging compositions that I don't find unpleasant in some respects (primarily the first half of the album, notably the successful "The Sheer Misfit" and the catchy "Sin"), but which nonetheless seem to suffer from a lack of genuine spark. An indecisive album whose heterogeneity makes it difficult for me to form a firm opinion, the fifty minutes of "Diva Futura" suggest a certain goodwill, imbued with sincere ambitions for experimentation and renewal, but suffer from compositions that undermine their potential due to a sense of detail and arrangement that fails to mask the flaws of material that is underdeveloped and, at times, too repetitive. Not to mention the effects of artificial, tiresome singing, weighing down the best moments of an album that might have had a different fate otherwise... bad times then for NIGHTFALL at the dawn of the year 2000.
Official promo video:
youtube.com/watch?v=5JFHUjS_9Pg&list=RD5JFHUjS_9Pg&start_radio=1
Sample:
youtube.com/watch?v=WMGDWeI04Qs&list=RDWMGDWeI04Qs&start_radio=1&t=848s
