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Finally, after over 20 years since their first full-length, Nightside have officially returned with their sophomore effort and fulfilled the promise of their demo, Lion, back in 2023. This act has always been on the fringes of the Finnish black metal scene, coming in the middle of the mid-'90s boom and never getting recognized the way bands like Sargeist did, but despite only having drummer/keyboardist Beleth and vocalist Serpent remaining from the early days, you'd swear that this came out a few years after The End of Christianity, or maybe even back in the '90s. There are similarities to acts like Emperor and Impaled Nazarene with the relentless ferocity and occasional tactful keyboard sections, but this isn't so much a band wearing influences on their sleeve as it is wielding them like a whip to flay the flesh from your unsuspecting ears. It's tight, it's professional, it has just enough variety to avoid being norsecore, and it works like nothing past 1994 ever happened, and to do it so well despite only having a few releases to their name is a testament to their longevity and the timelessness of the style. An impressive comeback.