In this Night Thieves Metaxis album review, we’re looking at the self-released first full-length offering from the Londoners, which will be available from March 20th. It’s the first of two notable debut albums from the British alternative metal band in March this year.
(The other will be hot on its heels, coming from the direction of Bristol. Keep your eyes on Metal Lair for that one!) Metaxis follows a hotly-handled EP from the nocturnal nabbers in the form of 2024’s Polarity.
This might be a lazy comparison on my part – I didn’t get as fat as I am by not being lazy – but Night Thieves remind me somewhat of the French metalcore band Novelists FR.
This might simply be because both bands are fronted by women who rarely, if ever, resort to harsh vocals, and never allow the intensity of their music to be at the expense of the melodic elements that are their strongest artistic suit.
I could make a similar comparison to the nü metal band Human Waste Project, and for much the same reason, or I could simply get on with reviewing the album. Let’s opt for the latter!
Night Thieves Metaxis Album Review – Track Breakdow
Their stall is set out emphatically on the opening track Obsidian. I’m going to have to urge a bit of restraint on the part of metal bands when it comes to mentioning that particular substance in their titles.
Seriously, nary a week goes by without a song, EP or album title referencing that sexy black rock. Why, this very week sees the release of Obsidian Dawn by Denver’s melodic death metal doyens Igzordium. Other rocks are available!
Where was I? The song itself would not be out of place on Linkin Park’s Meteora album. It’s well structured, slickly produced and immaculately performed, with Jess Moyle’s heartfelt clean vocals perfectly complimenting the melodic metal music that could easily be a chart hit if you took out the distortion.
Mycelia is a bit harder, with its sharp, syncopated opening riff and strings and drums in rapid-fire lockstep on the verse, with a sound verging on that of Static X.
Some light industrial elements manifest themselves on this track, though the pre-chorus and chorus are strong and anthemic.
The breakdown ups the intensity but melody remains the foremost concern. The first two tracks were released as singles in October of last year and January of this year respectively.
The third track is the latest single, and it quickly becomes apparent that what we have here is actually an album full of singles, potential or actual; bold, vibrant and anthemic, and boasting bigger hooks than the ones you’d find in Quint’s tackle box.
The aforementioned current single, Home, has an angular post-punk sound that is strongly reminiscent of Silent Alarm-era Bloc Party.
It rouses similar emotions in me to songs like This Modern Love from that notable noughties album. That said, the middle section builds in a very similar way to that of Babymetal’s Karate.
On the other hand, Freer – now there’s a title that grates on me – starts with an eerie synth sound that is strikingly similar to the one that crops up on Fear Factory’s Obsolete album.
The gusto of the opening riff had me pining for the volume and intensity of that classic album, before it calms down, with the bass of Rick Hunter-Burns – not Hunter/Killer! – pulsing away insistently under Moyne’s wistful tones.
What we have in part on this track is a pared-down industrial sound that is much more palatable to a mainstream audience than anything the aforementioned LA legends produced, though there’s some gutsy riffing and a chorus that is catchier than the common cold.
Running (Out of Time) continues with the light industrial sound, with Sci-Fi synths and a slinky syncopated beat in the verse.
Once again, we have an anthemic chorus that I imagine would get the fists pumping in the air in a live setting, and an abrasive pre-chorus that would compel many a modern vocalist to turn to a harsher vocal style.
That Moyle does not do this is oddly refreshing. One might view this as a concession to commerciality. I prefer to see it as Moyle playing to her considerable strengths.
We have a guitar solo that verges on old-school shredding but with enough restraint applied for it not to be incongruous within the context of the song.
I commend Paul Andrew for this. Discipline is a virtue in an accomplished musician. Knowing when not to play is important; it’s always best to display your attributes sparingly.
The bifurcation involved with the next two tracks offer us something of a clue regarding the reason for the album title. More about that later!
In Between Pt. 1 is a short, dreamy, trippy little number that reminds me of Zero 7.
At least that’s the case until a full-blooded nü metal riff shatters the serenity and leads us into In Between Pt. 2.
While not exactly a felt-melting riposte to its counterpart, constitutes a substantial increase of the decibel levels, with a subdued verse/emphatic chorus style that is reminiscent of Filter’s Hey Man, Nice Shot, but with sumptuous vocal harmonies in the chorus.
We have more sharp, staccato bursts with strings and drums in lockstep, and a dissonant solo, asserting those metal credentials once again.
See You On The Otherside features a rare foray into the realm of harsh vocals, courtesy presumably of special guest Jessie Powell of Welsh post-hardcore outfit Dream State.
This vocal approach perfectly compliments the sharp, staccato riffs – yes, those again! – and percussive barrage, though as ever, it is juxtaposed with vibrant melody and shark-sized hooks.
The metalcore-style riffs and breakdown in the middle of the song add a bit of ballast to the affair, complementing Powell’s presence perfectly.
The Game, somewhat disappointingly, is not a cover of the – rest in peace, Phil Campbell – Motörhead song of the same name that served as entrance music for Triple H in WWE. That would have been something to behold!
Instead, it’s an original composition. The melody that manifests itself in the intro and chorus could actually have been drawn from the soundtrack of a retro arcade classic.
The groove metal riff and pummelling double kicks that emerge roughly two minutes in bring to mind Machine Head’s Davidian, proving once again that they can operate perfectly well as a heavy band when they’re so inclined.
Closing track Maritime opens with a riff that verges on djent, and while the verses are subdued, the choruses have an intense energy augmented by flurries of double kick drums.
The middle section sees more venom in Moyle’s vocals than anywhere else on the album, and Ryan Delglyn earns his corn with some frenzied stickwork.
The song peters out somewhat, with no build to a big finish. As I alluded to earlier, there is an overall sense of this album being a collection of singles rather than an album per se.
That’s nothing unusual in this day and age, however, and is very much a consequence of the streaming and short attention spans of the modern era.
As a debut album, Metaxis shows Night Thieves balancing melody and weight. It also reflects how the idea of an album as a complete work may now feel like a quaint Boomer/Gen X anachronism, increasingly at odds with the cultural zeitgeist.
So, what of the album title, and how does it relate to what is on offer here? Well, according to my Googling: “Metaxis… is a philosophical, artistic, and technical term primarily denoting a state of “in-betweenness,” specifically existing between two worlds (e.g., human/divine or real/fictional).”
It is this sense of “in-betweenness” that encapsulates the essence of Night Thieves in their first full-length outing, on which they prove themselves perfectly adept as an out-and-out metal band, yet they display throughout the ten tracks the kind of pop sensibilities and chart-courting nous that would make them mainstays on mainstream radio, were it not for the big, scary guitars chasing the less stout-hearted listener away.
While, despite hints at heaviness throughout, it’s generally a bit too melodic and – whisper it! – mainstream for my tastes.
I happily acknowledge that not every band has to be Cryptopsy. There’s room enough for everything in the wide spectrum of metal.
To quote Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies,
“Just ‘cause you don’t like it don’t mean it ain’t no good!”
And it’s not even the case that I don’t like it. So, with Mike’s wise words in mind…
Metal Lair awards Metaxis by Night Thieves four out of five devil horns
Night Thieves are:
Jess Moyle: Vocals
Paul Andrew: Guitar and synths
Rick Hunter-Burns: Bass
Ryan Delglyn: Drums
Pre-Order Night Thieves – Metaxis Here:
Tracklisting:
1. Obsidian
2. Mycelia
3. Home
4. Freer
5. Running (Out of Time)
6. In Between Pt. 1
7. In Between Pt. 2
8. See You On The Otherside (feat. Jessie Powell)
9. The Game
10. Maritime
UK Tour Dates:
April: 10th – Worthing Bunker 11;
11th – Southampton Suburbia;
24th – Sheffield Network;
25th – Manchester Star & Garter.
July: 5th – SOS Festival Oldham;
24th – Northants Rocks Festival Finedon;
26th – Hammerdown Festival Worthing.
NIGHT THIEVES ONLINE
About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
For more rising bands worth your time, dive into our weekly series Seven Deadly Songs.
Read More From This Author:
Matador – “Above, Below And So” Album Review
Phoenix Lake – “Seraphina: The Fall From Eden” Album Review
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