NOCTURNAL RITES' bassist speaks about bucking the trends

From their death metal origins to completing a string of well-received albums influenced by traditional heavy metal artists such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, to the band's current hard rocking direction on their latest Century Media Records effort, "Grand Illusion", Nocturnal Rites continue to redefine their always powerful sound.

In a recent exclusive interview with The Gauntlet, bassist Nils Eriksson spoke about moving away from the patterened confines of power metal, toward an expansive rock sound that perfectly balances melody and aggression.

"It's natural when everyone else is doing what you've did a few years back, you start looking in new directions and try out different stuff. It's never fun to do what everyone else is doing. I don't think that we ever make conscious decisions when it comes to writing. We just sit down and start off every album writing session with a clean sheet and we just go nuts and write songs that we like at the moment. I think, just because of that, we have a different record every time. I don't think we have two records that sound the same. This time, I guess we're sort of fed up with the double bass drums and all of that from other albums. For some reason, this (album) took a bit more of a heavy direction. I don't know, I don't think it's more melodic, I think that the songs are pretty much the same. They're memorable and all, it's just that the balance between melody and aggression is a bit more obvious." said Eriksson.

"Grand Illusion" is available in stores now.