THE NIGHTMARES
Fire In Heaven (Venn)
Newport’s black-clad The Nightmares make an accomplished return with their second album Fire in Heaven, which seems to question human existence. Not only does Beneath Your Name kick off with Killing Joke-like riff evilness, this album takes its title from a description Jaz Coleman – frontman of those same postpunk dark lords – once made, referencing the sound of his now-late bandmate Geordie Walker’s guitar.
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Dead Roses, which relates to triggers that can remind us of past trauma, is as catchy as a late-80s New Order classic, whilst Something In The Dark has foreboding sparseness to match The Cure’s Seventeen Seconds album, albeit with a poppier edge. The brilliant Heaven Won’t Hold Me demonstrates this band can create dark, moody alt-rock/pop earworms with relative ease. Eleanor Coburn’s vocals deserve a mention too, a highlight of Blood On Your Hands and album closer Melancholy Waltz.
words DAVID NOBAKHT
