Nocturnal Rites

Grand Illusion (Century Media)

In health-conscious Sweden, even the power-metal bands can't resist involvement in athletics. If it isn't HammerFall filming a pump-up video with the women's Olympic curling team, it's Nocturnal Rites enlisting former world-champion cross-country skier Per Olofsson to add whammy-bar guitar noise to "Never Trust," a typical Dio-meets-Yngwie-Malmsteen number on the Umea-based quintet's seventh studio album.

Vocalist Jonny Lindqvist, who brought his bluesy pipes to the group in 2000, cowrote Grand Illusion's 10 riff-oriented tracks with guitarists Fredrik Mannberg and Nils Norberg and bassist Nils Eriksson. Overall, the dramatic sound is as solid as a bodycheck by Mattias Ohlund of the Vancouver Canucks. Yet the level of originality doesn't compare to, say, a passing play by the Sedin twins. The album title prompts unwarranted thoughts of Styx, and calling a song "Cuts Like a Knife" is almost grounds for a nasty phone call from Bryan Adams's lawyers.

Still, there are sparkling moments. The anthemic "Fools Never Die" reverses power-metal lyrical conventions (usually, it's the non-fools who are said to be immortal), and the soaring chorus of "One By One" will make headbanging drivers rack up the speeding tickets. Drummer Owe Lingvall also pulls off some daring fills on "End of Our Rope."

With guest musicians like Hammer?Fall axeman Stefan Elmgren and Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson spicing up this album, Nocturnal Rites is clearly well-liked in metal circles. But to attract a wider audience, the band must shape up in terms of songwriting variety.

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