Album Review: Bomber - Nocturnal Creatures
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Bomber are pretty new to the metal world if we’re looking at their released material, merely consisting of this debut studio album and a single, prior E.P. But in truth, Bomber have been going since 2016 hailing from Skane, Sweden where they dropped that aforementioned E.P. a year later but then going quiet not long afterwards. With this context in mind, its possible to suggest that this album has been a long time coming not simply for fans of Bomber but for the band themselves; this is potentially their moment to show people what they’re made of, and to instil confidence in their fans that the wait was worth it. 2022 is already shaping up to be a momentous year for traditional sounding heavy metal and if this record plays out the way Bomber hope, they could add another notch to the slew of high-quality releases this year has already blessed us with. So, let’s inspect Nocturnal Creatures for ourselves.
After a quick introductory piece that oozes 80s ambience, the band very quickly get things underway. What I can say about the band’s immediate aesthetic is how it reminds me of an electrically supercharged AC/DC in the way the guitar work feels as chunky as it does without it coming down on us like a ton of bricks. The riffs possess this meaty but intricate sensibility that enable the audience to feel really involved with the songwriting, as if we are able to follow the guitar work with utter ease. I think it’s this bouncing feeling the guitar work emits that really helps the band to stand out more than their traditional contemporary metal acts, they aren’t merely performing riffs for the sake of being heavy; the band are putting on a show to absolutely draw you in and in that regard, I’d say the band have succeeded wildly. It’s one thing to be heavy; it’s quite another to be simultaneously heavy and fun without detracting any quality of songwriting.
But then you have the vocals forever at the forefront of the band’s performance. It’s not that they’ve been thrust to the centre or right in front of you that establishes their presence on this record, but rather the astonishing fluidity and dynamics the vocals have managed to harness. In regards to vocal ability there isn’t anything really new or overtly special happening herein, it’s in how their frontman is utilising his vocal range to give us something that, like the riffs, we can become really invested in. He isn’t always going for the ultra high notes and it benefits the record by not doing so, you’ll hear his vocals move sideways, upwards. They’ll rise with strength and fall with depth without losing any of the control. Whatever chemistry the vocals and riffs have here evidently works because you’d be hard pressed to remove one and leave the other standing.
The 1980s aesthetic is something we recognise a lot of traditional metal acts often go for, it’s something we as metal fans love to hear. But sometimes bands may try a little too hard and by doing so, the production goes overboard and overshadows the songwriting. If you ask me, Bomber get it just right with an aesthetic that screams that time period and bolsters their performance without it feeling like they’re looking to the production and mixing sensibilities to give them a second wind owing to lacklustre songwriting. Keyboards and synthesisers are hardly touched upon here, when they are it’s only for very brief periods that help to establish a track’s opening or identity then it peters out and the standard instrumentation takes over. Speaking of which, the album’s production doesn’t overdo the retro aesthetic; the riffs and drums come down on us with all the strength and clarity you’d expect them to and they’ve got a little twinge on them to help further that retro sound but it isn’t like they shove it in our faces to get the point across. It’s subtle and is just enough of what they needed to imbue their sound with, without potentially throwing it out there as a crutch to lean on. It’s been such a long time since I listened to quite an immersive album as Nocturnal Creatures is. Carrying on from the nature of aesthetic the band managed to evoke within their performance, this
record truly manages to suck you straight into their soundscape and it’ll keep you there for the entirety of its runtime. This partly boils down to how the band’s production never once falls flat or loses their audience through sudden or jarring directions in tone. In some way you could say that going via a specific style can hamper potential experimentation or dynamics, but Bomber have made it work for themselves in a way that never once brings this notion to fruition. Once the album starts up, that’s it. You’re sucked in for the rest of the ride and it’s a blast to be had, especially in hindsight where I now know not every track is a massive arena-stage banger. There are some quaint and softer tracks going on here yet even when the band aren’t bringing the power all the time, they still pull and hold you in without trying. It’s a magical album in this respect, one that fantastically balanced retro style with songwriting substance. I’d recommend this album not only for metal fans but to bands as well; a demonstration on how to perfectly get this see-saw act done just right.
In conclusion, this is a really entertaining and fun album that doesn’t ask too much of you to keep involved with what the band plan for this record. That aesthetic and production quality is spot on with what bands should be vying for whenever they’re after that retro identity to be attached to their persona. I’ve heard so many bands undergo a similar approach but Bomber are the most successful and realised band I’ve ever heard pull off such a sound, notably because they don’t present themselves as band using 80s vibes. Nocturnal Creatures feels like it was ripped out of a time warp, you could pop this album on in 1984 and there’d be little question as to when it came from. It’s that ease of believability that sells this record for me, as well as the jumping, refined riff work that strikes with electricity off the record’s cover. The album doesn’t overtly try and big itself up and that’s bizarrely what makes it work. It does precisely what you’d want it to do without trying too hard and making such efforts obvious. All in all, I loved this album and I think it’s well worth your time if you’re after some quality traditional heavy metal that isn’t merely written well but feels good to experience too.
