NEVERFADE
“Thieves In The Night”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Neverfade are a heavy metal band from Finland formed in 2022, releasing the bands debut album ‘Thieves In The Night’ in 2025.

Due to embark on the “Thieves On Tour” tour later this year, the five piece outfit from Tampere are heavily inspired by the eighties metal sound of bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, yet Neverfade don’t tread the retro footpath, instead preferring to blend a modern touch into their old school roots – the album a nine song and fifty two minute journey through the realms of heavy metal, hard rock and everything in-between…

…’Battle Hymn’ charging outta the gate with energy and drive displaying the iconic “metal gallop” in full flight! The band are rooted in the heart of heavy metal territory here, every listener rocking their head back and forth and punching the air to salute a corker of an opening salvo – and one that’ll have every metaller around the world turning their head in the direction of the Finnish five piece! And maintaining the albums corking start, ‘The Blade Pt. 1’ is faster paced with just as much energy and drive as the previous song, Neverfade keeping the pedal firmly pressed to the metal to roar along the moottoritie at full throttle – the head bang ability of the (albums) first two songs off the charts! And that’s where it stays for ‘Phantoms In The Wind’, the band shaking things up a little here by introducing a more hustle and bustle nature than heard previously.

The opening threesome have come directly from within the boundaries of the traditional heavy metal genre, Neverfade staying true to a ‘Maiden and ‘Priest inspired sound, ‘Bleeding Hearts’ dropping a couple of gears to adopt a mid tempo march, yet losing none of the incredible melodious intent running right through the heart of the album – an album that sees an increase of speed with the foot to the floor ‘Assassin’ storming off at a gloriously head bang-able pace! In fact, the entire album so far has been immensely head bang-able, every listener, fan, follower, metaller and mosher receiving a strenuous workout to test just how flexible their neck muscles are! Very I hope, for ‘Thieves In The Night’ has only just passed the half way mark, ‘Hourglass Breaking’ opening as though balladry is forthcoming! And it is, the band slowing the pace and tempo down to a stroll, the mellower atmosphere encouraging listeners to raise lighters high in the air – a sudden and dramatic change of identity forcing every one of them to be lowered! The abrasive nature here is a little thrashy, the band hopping between genres to deliver a myriad of metal styles across the songs entire six and a half minute run time.

‘The Blade Pt. 2’ resumes the silky smooth gallop of melodic heavy metal, Neverfade oozing a sound so prevalent during the eighties NWOBHM evolution – an evolution that I was very much a part of, growing up as a teenager listening to all the greats shape the sound of heavy metal music as we know and love it today – the Finnish metallers broadening their horizons into the epic and glory metal fields with ‘Voyager’, a crescendo building first minute or so leading to a Black Sabbath doom metal inspired swagger. Not as menacing and eerie as the grandfathers of metal, Neverfade retain an element of liveliness as ‘Voyager’ progresses to “lighten up” in order to resume the bands more familiar sound! And bringing ‘Thieves In The Night’ to a close is the ten minute long ‘The Horror (Out From Space)’, the band showcasing every style of metal they have in their locker – the purposeful stride across the first minute shuddering the ground. The atmosphere here is spine tingling, ‘The Horror (Out From Space)’ marching tall and proud right through the heart of epic metal territory to eventually return to the galloping arena that is good old fashioned heavy metal!

Overall, a lively gallop of traditional heavy metal, Neverfade weave a myriad of metal styles into ‘Thieves In The Night’s entire fifty two minute run time.

TRACKLIST

Battle Hymn
The Blade Pt. 1
Phantoms In The Wind
Bleeding Hearts
Assassin
Hourglass Breaking
The Blade Pt. 2
Voyager
The Horror (Out From Space)

https://www.neverfade.fi/
https://neverfadefin.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/neverfadefinland/

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