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This French band's 2009 album Insurrection left me so unimpressed that I didn't even realize they put out an album, The Burden of God, in 2012 until I started listening to their latest, 2014's The Aftermath. Not much has changed since '09 and this is a Heavy/Power Metal band that knows its way around a riff or two. The Dark-era Metal Church and the first Reverend album are the best comparisons and vocalist Jo Amore sounds more like the young David Wayne than ever. Musically, The Aftermath is not the ferocious Traditional Metal of Metal Church's debut but more polished and assured, though still quite heavy. Songs like "Necromancer" bristle with energy and there is solid lead guitar work to be found in almost every track. Nightmare still struggle in the "catchy" department. Most of the time the melodies and verses are pretty good but the chorus on "I Am Immortal" and the bridge on "Ghost in the Mirror" are downright clunky.

The Aftermath isn't top shelf but it is a step up from Insurrection. Fans of mid-to-late 80s Traditional Metal should give it a spin.