Much like a red headed step sister, we don’t talk about 2020 as it brought its fair share of misery upon us. However, 2020 also marked the end of alt-rock outfit Nightblade’s hiatus with the release of current album ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’. From that record, the Midlanders have dropped soulful new single ‘Find The Strength Within’ along with a video featuring aerial performer Imogen Gunter.
Mark Crosby (Vocals), Sam Morse (Guitar), Tim Cutcliffe (Bass), and Rich Lawley (Drums) formed Nightblade in 2010, releasing two albums (‘Servant To Your Lair’ and ‘Closer To The Threshold’) along with an EP (‘Crisis Has No Prejudice’) before going on hiatus in 2015. With renewed energy, the quartet have come back stronger than ever.
‘Find The Strength Within’ chronicles weathering the storm of low periods and needing to find the strength within yourself to navigate your way through to the other side. The song itself is a deliciously slow burn, opening with a trickling guitar with a small thunder clap of drums. Morse’s guitar solo in the intro is deliberate and sweet in its resonance, using each note to pain the soundscape of already being out at sea, watching the storm close in.
Crosby’s low tone makes his vocals sound desolate, to the point of being so devoid of hope it becomes hard to carry on. Until the song reaches a crucial point in its sentiment ‘When you're facing such a wall/ Will you rise or fall’, ‘Find The Strength Within’ sounds as though it’s going to stay in this sorrowful spiral, taking the ill-advised direction at the crossroads. Crashing drums from Lawley transform the single from coursing river to immense tidal wave of emotion. Each motion throughout the song from introduction, to chorus, and continuing is marked with short, succinct guitar solos from Morse, until his string work becomes a vessel to guide you to the song’s highest plane in the closing instrumental. Nightblade washes you up on the shore and slowly fades away, leaving you with the realisation you’ve navigated ‘through the wave of despair’ and can finally live free.
‘Find The Strength Within' showcases Nightblade’s resurgence and how their passion for music has been reignited. With a rich, soulful sound akin to Sevendust or Shinedown, it’s hard to deny these alt-rockers have the power to move you.
‘Find The Strength Within’ is available now across all streaming platforms alongside current album ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’. For the latest news from Nightblade, including a highly anticipated new album set for release in 2021, visit their website or follow their social medias linked below.
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