Nocturnal Rites

Nocturnal Rites began life as the Swedish death metal outfit Necronomic, which released a demo tape titled The Obscure in 1991. Gradually, as the bandmembers realized they would prefer to play more melodic strains of the metal they had enjoyed growing up -- British and Gothic metal bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Helloween -- their own style shifted in that retro direction, and Nocturnal Rites was born. The original lineup included vocalist/guitarist Fredrik Mannberg, rhythm guitarist Mikael Söderstrom, bassist Nils Eriksson, and drummer Tommy Eriksson; Eriksson left...