Led by Brandon Robert, Darkwave band Night Nail was originally formed in 2013 in Los Angeles, California but relocated to Berlin, Germany in 2018. They release their third album `Fates Explained` this month.
‘Fates Explained’ has been mixed, mastered, and co-produced by Pete Burns of Kill Shelter, with additional instrumentation provided by Valentina Veil (VV & the Void), Ilija Gavrilenko and Justin Deactivere.
We have a kind of precursor or taster of what`s to come with `Normal Es Anormal` a short instrumental electronic soundscape. Title Track `Fates Explained` is a song that paints a picture of frontman Brandon Roberts’ relocation from Los Angeles to Berlin. A pretty mesmerising listen with a dreamlike rhythmic ambience.
The marvellously titled `Narcoleptic Dream Catcher` conjures an image of a daytime sleep disorder where daymares are captured in a woven netted web. It does have a sense of anxiety enhanced by the sighs of Valentina Veil (VV & The Void), and resonating bass lines supplied by Pete Burns. There`s a fairly dystopian feel to `Cells` which almost radiates a sense of apprehension and unease.
`Madness And Foul` projected a sense of the opaque as if some entity or force were being hidden from view and we`re being protected from something ominous. A delightfully modest composition but shaded in mystery. I felt that `Diabolical Roses` was really spellbinding and drew you in to its enchanting magnetic atmosphere.
`I’m Not Her God` rolls along with an underlying electronic beat radiating a sense of the unknown. There was a deep questioning resonance to `Cracks In My Heart` which may have alluded to the pain of a romance`s finale or dying embers.
There was a perception of detachment or separation to `Opal Killer`. I read that the opal gem enhances cosmic consciousness and stimulates flashes of intuition and insight, yet is a protective stone for deep inner work, meditations, and lower world shamanic journeys, so maybe this may explain its remote essence. We enjoy a faster paced submission with `Pull Off` which has a repetitive rhythmic pulse which becomes wonderfully absorbing as it progresses.
The album closes out with `Antipathy` from which the title would suggest a deep-seated feeling of aversion, but the track is a more amiable but retains a relative intensity.
For me `Fates Explained` left me with more questions than answers and maybe a sense of understanding will come when I allow it more time to be digested. It`s a strangely atmospheric composition which exudes all kinds of feelings and emotions. If you enjoy artists such as Sisters of Mercy, Gary Numan, and the Cure, Night Nail will definitely be a band you will enjoy.
Rating 8 /10
