Nocturnal Rites - Still Alive

I have really fallen behind my self-imposed schedule on this blog. After thirteen years I have finally succumbed to human failings and have not posted anything in a while.

But I’m still alive.

Sweden’s Nocturnal Rites has been active since 1990, a solid thirty years now, and approximately in the middle of their career in 2006, they released their seventh studio album “Grand Illusion,” which contains my favorite song of theirs “Still Alive.”

Nocturnal Rites is one of those bands which I know far less about than I should before writing a blog post about one of their songs. Knowing this, I spent the last several weeks randomly jumping to Nocturnal Rites’ songs while working. This is some serious research I do here on this blog. Of the thirty songs or so I listened to, two stand outs for me were “Against the World,” and “Invincible.” But as has happened to me before, nothing compares to the first love. Nothing compares to “Still Alive.”

I have been listening to Nocturnal Rites for years, but the truth is only one song has anchored itself to my casual listening habits “Still Alive.” Sometimes one song is all it takes to take interest in a band. Sometimes one song makes a serious impact on you and every six months or so you think to yourself, “I love this song, I should listen to more by this band,” but then you only do a little bit.

I have no idea what Nocturnal Rites overall commercial success or popularity is, but to me they are sort of a one hit wonder, a powerful one hit wonder. Their music is all very good, and I like all that I have heard, but nothing compares to that one dynamite track, “Still Alive.”

Speaking as one against the world, there is something very empowering about shouting:

“I’m still alive!”

Better yet, shouting the entire chorus:

“I'm still alive.
Though I'm old, trite and weary,
And I know I'm alive enough,
To stand my ground,
So there is nothing to revive,
I'm still alive.”

I really like the lyrics; they are very defiant. Truth be told the chorus dominates the song, but since I love the chorus and bellowing it, I am okay with it.

A casual listen of “Still Alive” may reveal a solid hard rock song with powerful guitar licks and vocals. Everything is rapid machine gun fire, but lands preciously upon the ear drums as friendly fire. I love the lead guitar, cutting like a knife amongst all the gun fire.

Also, a casual listen should also reveal they are Swedish. The English is just off enough it is clear to a native speaker that we are dealing with someone who speaks English as a second language. I am not being critical, my monolingual ass has not right to judge. Nonetheless, I have listened to a lot of Swedish and Finnish metal music, and after a while, I noticed subtle unconventional habits. What really gives it away is “there is nothing to revive,” while perfectly coherent, that is a strange thing to say in English, and I immediately knew Nocturnal Rites were Swedish.

God, I love the Swedes, so much good music. Good hockey players too, I respect that.

Back on topic.

What I believe to be true is that Nocturnal Rites is this semipopular power metal band with a fair spread of appreciation across their various quality tracks. However, my perspective of them will forever be fixed upon a single central sound. The sound of “Still Alive.”

The men of Nocturnal Rites could cure cancer and I would still remember them for “Still Alive.” It is that rocking of a song. They deserved to be remembered for a number of reasons, mostly concerning the quality, quantity and longevity of their contribution to metal music. However, the men of Nocturnal Rites will forever be remembered as metal gods to me, because they wrote and recorded “Still Alive.”

This is truly how legends are made.

- The King of Braves