NIGHTMARE: Waiting For the Twilight LP 1984 Heavy Metal masterpiece. Check audio

	£		30
	$		40

Artist: Nightmare
Release: Waiting for the Twilight, 1984
Genre: Heavy / Power Metal
Country: France
original Ebony Records LP, highly recommended album!
1. Trust a Crowd
2. Waiting for the Twilight
3. Too Late
4. Royal Death
5. Drive Down to Hell
6. Lord of the Sky
7. The Legend
8. Fool on the Scene

band members:
Christophe Houpert - vocal
Jo Amore - drums
Jeannot Strippoli - guitar
Nicolas de Dominicis - guitar
Yves Campion - bass

There is an allure to be found here. Only a handful of champions were to be found bearing the sword in the name of France, and among them Nightmare would open gig for Def Leppard back when they were still playing music from their NWOBHM debut On Through The Night.

Insofar as 1984 goes, the musical exploits to be found on here arent terribly innovative, at least not all that much more than Grim Reapers acclaimed See You In Hell. In fact, between the mild-mannered croon of vocalist Christophe Houpert and the structure of each individual song, the comparison between said NWOBHM late bloomers and Nightmare is unavoidable. There is definitely a distinction in the latters more polished and dense demeanour, which comes with having both a second guitarist and a vocalist that isn't shy about using reverb-drenched choir overdubs to fill out the arrangement. Houpert maintains an airy demeanor that contrasts yet complements the hard edged instrument section in a manner not all that similar to what a synthesizer might accomplish for a power metal band.

Ironically, while being put out in the midst of a burgeoning underground thrash metal upsurge in neighboring Germany and to the other side of the Atlantic, there is a time appropriate tendency to this music when considering the commercial success of somewhat similar (albeit lighter sounding) bands in the vein of Dokken and Leatherwolf. Its a bit more traditionally oriented and leans more closely to the galloping, Iron Maiden sound of the early 80s instrumentally, but when considering the melodic contour and vocal tendencies, its fairly safe to assume a commonality with the developing hair metal scene that likely pushed this album into greater prominence than otherwise would have occurred. Still, when considering the hard hitting power chord assault of Too Late and The Legend, one can also consider that a good chunk of this bands audience was also rocking out to nastier fair such as Ozzys Bark At The Moon and Saxons Strong Arm Of The Law.
 

The ultimate testament of this bands importance to French metal would be their ability to resurrect themselves in a completely different era (the late '90s) and bring a piece of this now olden and largely under-represented style to a table that was more heavily dominated by Helloween emulators and Stratovarius loving keyboard fanatics. When looking at the now archaic lore of this heavily NWOBHM inspired debut this did not create a monumental splash in the massive ocean of early '80s metal, but Waiting For The Twilight began a metal institution that maintains a relevance to this day which none should ignore.
 

French metal that wasn't a nightmare
the noise of the wheels, the crash of the steel will echo in the sky
Nightmare sounds somewhere between Sortilege and the mostly incognito Trust, then probably trembling Shakin Street.
With their first, the five-piece offer up a set of tunes that can stun the traditional fan thats not expecting much from an album thats a tad past the hour for nwobhm-style songwriting. Its only 84, but elements of the traditional were turning tumultuous. Bands like Axe Victims, Spartan Warrior, and Tysondog kept the faith burning, unfortunately without legendary appeal, and there was little doubt to those in the know that a metamorphosis was churning in metals vat. Its when hope for the original style seemed small and distant that Waiting for the Twilight came out with trumpets blaring.
Nightmare write songs as if they sat back in the shadows, memorized the nooks, and guided much of this eight tracker through that teeming and tangled maze with barely a skinned knee. From catchy opener Trust a Crowd to the penetrating chorus of The Legend simply put, we have some valiantly provocative songs here. Brave and spirited hooks grow hair in nearly every track, conditioned by a keen sense of timing and resolve thats just so alluring, and yet arent up to spinning anthemic blood 'n iron yarns in pec-flexing Manowarian style. The music, built primarily on dynamic and unforced fluency, can easily capture the awareness of those who realize this is a little outdated, but are still hearing something worthy of at least another trip around the turntable. Tracks like Too Late and Drive Down to Hell hit the spotlight running and never stray from focus, enchanted with enough closed-fisted forward roll and drama to warrant an easy rotation of the entire album. Equally intriguing about Nightmare is not just their ability to write dignified, collected, and contagious songs, but their flair for making it look easy.

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