Nightblade

THREE IS A CHARM

UK-based hard rockers Nightblade return to the forefront with a new album and a turbocharged line-up to boot. By their admission, the addition of new guitarist Chris Seldon has made a huge difference to the group, particularly on their latest release.

The band’s new album, Hope To Be There, is the third part of their latest trilogy. Although the title may indicate that it was written about the pandemic era, the band would suggest otherwise. “A lot of the stuff I write is based on real people, different scenarios - like things I hear people say. It’s basically, if you knuckle down and do the right thing, you may get there. That’s basically what’s behind it,” explains frontman Mark Crosby. “From Ignorance Is Bliss when that was released in 2020. It’s a progression of that and developing our own sound, which appears to be coming through.” Mission completed in that respect, with several reviewers commenting on the band forging their sound.

Nightblade’s recent single is called No One Is To Blame. Speaking about the track Mark said: “There’s probably too much stuff written about relationships and love and all the rest of it. However, it is about a relationship between two people who started with great intentions and as time went on, it just sort of dwindled. It started on the right footing with the best idea with some longevity there, and it just didn’t turn out that way. That’s the moral behind that song. I suppose everybody can relate to that. A lot of the writing that I do is about proper scenarios.” Having turned out three albums in the last three years, Nightblade are in a creative place right now. “It’s pouring out, it really is, and it’s not stopping. We work very well as a creative unit. We’ve all got our built-in creativity and put us all together with all our different influences, and it makes for some interesting music. We’re not particularly trying to sound like anyone, group, or person for sure. We never write a song and think, oh, okay, this is going to sound like this. And a lot of the time, we can jam,” said Mark. “We’ve got a creative hub like I’ve never had before with the band, which is not taken lightly, and a gel there. Every musician knows it’s all about the gel and working together, and we’ve just got a great fit at the moment for sure.”

Although the band have released a trilogy over the last three years, each release can stand on its own. “They are sort of individual chapters in their own right. But by way of doing three albums in three years, that’s why we call it a trilogy. They have got their different identities, as it were. However, again, there’s a bit of cohesion to them as well, and across the three albums, I think people can hear our sound developing,” said Mark. “I think if somebody was to go out there and buy the three albums, they would see a connection and indeed a progression as well. The consensus is that we’ve had great reviews from all of them. But the general consensus is Hope To Be There is the best of the three. And it’s the journey across those three albums if you like.” Of course, Nightblade hail from the Midlands, or Kidderminster, to be precise. A town known for its association with Robert Plant. Of course, this area has a strong tie to Led Zeppelin. So, has the band’s frontman bumped into the rock legend in the local co-op whilst buying a pint of milk or had a chat in the local pub? “Our first drummer worked for Robert Plant,” said Mark. “There are quite a few people in the circle that know Robert. If you’re a musician and you’re in Kidderminster, there’s usually some connection,” said Mark. “Going back sometime now ago we filmed a video in Rushock Church, which is again just outside of Kidderminster. We had special permission, and it was special permission to video it where John Bonham was laid to rest.”

With their new album in the bag, touring will be the band’s main focus heading into the new year. “All sorts of things bubbling away at the moment. We’ve only done a handful of gigs this year. The way it’s been, it’s very hard to gig where you want to do and get it to work because it’s such a backlog of gigs running through the systems. There are some venues closing, but we’ll do another couple of local things, just to make sure we’re not rusty at the end of the year. But I think there’s going to be a big emphasis on gigging next year,” concludes Crosby.

Hope To Be There, the new album from Nightblade is out now.

Words: Adam Kennedy Photo Credit: Press/Supplied