NIGHTFALL 
Children Of Eve

As foundational pioneers of the Hellenic black/death metal scene alongside giants like Rotting Christ and Septicflesh, the return of the legendary Nightfall always carries weight. Three years after At Night We Prey, they now deliver Children Of Eve to their discography – a compelling, if sometimes uneven, album marked by a blend of gothic, black/death, and thrash elements, all channeled into a lyrical rebellion against religious dogma. If Cassiopeia leaned more towards the symphonic, and the last album had a thrashier edge, Children Of Eve is not, as the first single might have led us to believe, a mix of the two. Instead, it’s a multifaceted album with two distinct souls and some inconsistency.

The album opens with ‘I Hate’ — a powerful, gritty track with a gothic and oddly catchy chorus. Yet, the growls remind us that Nightfall remains, at heart, a black/death band. It’s a blend that might not be entirely original, but it works. This track would sit comfortably on either Cassiopeia or At Night We Prey. But then the album shifts — like Eve’s serpent, we are tempted by a thought…

‘Cannibal’ hits hard with a brutal three-minute blast that takes no prisoners. ‘Lurking’ brings a rotten riff and a dreamy interlude, earning it a place among the album’s top moments. Then comes the trio of ‘Inside My Head’, ‘Seeking Revenge’, and ‘For The Expelled Ones’ — and that tempting thought begins to take form. The serpent becomes Jörmungandr, and for more than a moment, it’s clear that the influence of (new-era) Amon Amarth looms large. But while the Swedes sing of war, blood, heroes, dragons and shields, Nightfall aims their arrows at organized religion and the desire for freedom from age-old constraints — fitting, perhaps, as Greece is the cradle of democracy. Nonetheless, this central part is the least exciting moment of the album.

Fear not, though — the band are not just Amon Amarth in flip-flops. They slam the pedal down again with ‘The Traders Of Anathema’, a head-crushing track bound to please live audiences and fans of Judas Iscariot‘s actions alike. On ‘With Outlandish Desire To Disobey’, the band returns to gothic tones, this time supported by female vocals. ‘The Makhaira Of the Deceiver’ showcases a blend of melancholy and ferocity, where pain and sorrow take centre stage. With lines like “The Makhaira of the Deceiver cuts your faith to pieces,” Nightfall channels ancient rage through a blade forged in myth and grief. Their lyrics read like a funeral hymn for the faithful — exiled from light, yet burning with the stubborn fire of rebellion — Children Of Eve is repeatedly screamed at the song’s close. The album could end gloriously here… but there’s still one more track.

Like the opener, ‘Christian Svengali’ blends a gothic atmosphere with heavy riffs. But this time, there is a melodic decay that encapsulates all the suffering, diving deep into religious trauma and spiritual obsession. As Efthimis Karadimas (singer) said, “It’s an album about how we come through pain, live with pain, and die in pain.”

In conclusion, this is a manifesto of suffering and anger against the chains imposed by sacred scripture — whether real or imagined. What is evil? What is good? Nightfall’s Children Of Eve is a welcome return from one of Greece’s most important extreme music acts. Across the album’s ten tracks, we find two souls — one more reflective, one more ferocious — that do not always blend perfectly. A few tracks could perhaps have pushed further during their moments of catharsis, while others might have benefited from slowing down more effectively to deepen the reflective atmosphere, which would have strengthened the album’s consistency.