By Pete Wadeson

It can't be argued that Euro style melodic trad power metal has come in for a lot of stick in recent years for being stuck in a time warp unable to move forward or generate the interest it once had. Well, why the hell should it? When the quality of music and musicianship is of the standard of a band such as Nocturnal Rites it deserves to be judged on its merits not because the genre has seemingly gone out of fashion. Standout tracks are album opener "Destiny Calls," the Helloween-inspired "Ride On," the superbly catchy chorus of "Hold On To The Flame" and the stomping riff-driven "Eternity Holds." Throughout the 11 tracks here on offer the dual guitar work of Nils Norberg and Fredrik Mannberg is comparibly to anything Iron Maiden have come up with in years. Sterling stuff indeed! If you like your music to be melodic and hook-ridden with dueling guitars and soaring vocals, then you could do a hell of a lot worse than to check out "The Sacred Talisman." You'll not be disappointed, believe me!

More from the Online Metal Journal