Terromania - Nyctophobic

2023-11-13 08:00:56

With a rather unusual sound that you rarely hear even at the new home Ripple Music Terromania around the corner. The quintet from Finland, which was only founded in 2018, mixes power metal with prog and melodic death, citing bands as diverse as Ghost, Devin Townsend and Lordi as influences, with Townsend’s various projects then and now shining through in particular. Catchy, tough and complex, that’s how the first album appears „Nyctophobic“.

After a short intro, “Disturbingly Beautiful” immediately goes into full swing and wonderfully outlines the peculiar sound of the northern lights. The rough melodic death force is there, as is the downright poppy power metal sound with slightly cheesy melodies, while it bubbles underneath, both in terms of heaviness and ambition. A brutal modern prog breakdown rounds off the four minutes. While you’re still wondering what just happened here, “The Pain Makes You Feel Alive” unpacks a Halfordian head voice, declares war on familiar rhythm concepts and crosses Babymetal with Van Halen and Strapping Young Lad. Is it still possible?

It’s a question you ask yourself again and again as the sum of the individual parts slowly comes together, like an oversized puzzle. The menacing heaviness of “Lovely Nightmare” surprises with another pop chorus from nowhere, while “Ceremonial Graveyard” irons shock rock with the rough metal club. In the final “Fight The Inner Darkness” Terromania work their way from a supposed half-ballad to djent-like riffing, before prog collides with anthemic choirs and escalates completely with growing enthusiasm.

What exactly happens here cannot be said with absolute certainty, but the result is entertaining from the first to the last second. Modern Metal with a difference, “Nyctophobic” can be summed up in a similar way. Terromania simply threw everything they could find into the pot and tinkered around until everything somehow fit together. Catchy moments, harsh blows in the neck, complex demands and wholesome cheese actually know how to entertain – a difficult and entertaining debut that definitely reveals a lot of potential.

Rating: 8/10

Available from: November 17, 2023
Available via: Ripple Music

Facebook: www.facebook.com/terromaniaband