For more than three decades, Nightfall have stood alongside Rotting Christ and Septicflesh as the pioneering trinity of Greek metal. The legendary Athenian death metal band sound as vengeful as ever. But backed by monumental production and a powerful message, their eleventh studio album stands as their darkest and most epic creation yet. Children of Eve is here to unite blackened souls everywhere.
“I love how this album came out”, Nightfall’s founder Efthimis Karadimas says. “We’re excited to play these songs live. The sound is massive. The choruses are huge. And there’s a message that comes through. It’s an album about how we come through pain, how we live with pain, and how we die in pain”.
A Living Legacy of Greek Metal
Since their formation in 1991, Nightfall have remained a beacon for Greek metal. “Well, here is one of the rare, original bands”, wrote Angry Metal Guy. Like the scorching sun over their homeland, the Athenians rose from the underground alongside Rotting Christ and Septicflesh, though they were the first to sign an international record deal.
Over the years, the crew around Efthimis has changed frequently. But while Nightfall did enjoy a short but successful stint with Metal Blade Records in the early 2010s, their strong bond with Holy Records during the ’90s established a deep connection between the Greek and French metal scenes. That legacy continues with the band’s current label Season of Mist.
“Nightfall deserve great credit for persistence and determination”, Blabbermouthwrote upon the eve of At Night We Prey. “For fans of face-ripping gloom, [their] sizeable catalogue remains eminently worthy of exploration”.
Monumental Production
Like their contemporaries, Nightfall weave gothic melodies into blackened death metal. Children of Eve features the most infectious collection of hooks that the band has ever created, though their disdain for the dominance of the Eastern Orthodox Church has only deepened over the years. The ongoing rise across the globe of so-called “holy wars” fueled their latest rebellion.
“Anger was the root”, Efthimis explains about the inspiration behind Children of Eve. The band’s veteran leader commands the stage with cloak and dagger, but the album’s lead single pulls no punches. “I am the son of night, notorious bastard“, he roars as an eerie choir echoes like the call of a siren. As if summoned from Olympus, former Septicflesh drummer Fotis Benardo unleashes his attack like a swarm of venomous arrows.
“Faith is a personal matter”, Efthimis continues, “but it can become a dirty business”.
To amplify their message, Nightfall enhanced the entire production of Children of Eve. Efthimis and Fotis took charge of the production with assistance from InnerWish guitarist Thimios Krikos. Meanwhile, Jacob Hansen – who worked with Volbeat, Amaranthe and The Black Dahlia Murder – handled the mixing and mastering. For the artwork, the band turned to Eliran Kantor, who’s renowned paintings have graced the covers of albums by Testament, Kreator and Helloween.
A Powerful Message
Look at the tracklist and it’s evident that “I Hate” takes aim at the consistent influence of organized religions. “The Traders of Anathema” raises its axe in honor of Judas Iscariot, featuring two blistering guitar solos from Kostas Kyriakopoulos. However, Children of Eve wouldn’t bear the mark of Nightfall without a deeper message.
“Death’s Spiritual Healing deeply influenced me”, Efthimis says. “At the time, its social message was so advanced for the genre”. While “The Cannibal” bursts with divine tremolo picking, its lyrics explore how religious structures and fanaticism can devour you. “I hold the power / to explain your screams“, Efthimis howls with chilling intensity.
During Nightfall’s most recent hiatus, Efthimis was diagnosed with depression. Now, he wears a black mask to cover half of his face, symbolizing what it’s like to live under the invisible veil of mental illness. “When you have demons in your mind, you’re not always an ideal companion”, he admits. “That stigma can lead to isolation”.
Now, Nightfall are encouraging fellow metalheads to speak up. The band have launched a new initiative called Metal Music Against Depression (MMaD), which is supported by European Alliance Against Depression in Germany. “We can talk about this. We can sing about it. We can build a community that’s based on understanding”, Efthimis says.
With Children of Eve, Nightfall return from the shadows to unite blackened souls everywhere with their darkest and most epic creation yet.
For more than 30 years, Nightfall have stood as a shining pillar for Greek metal. Like darkness after sunset, the deadly Athenians rose through the underground alongside their current and former label mates Rotting Christ and Septicflesh. The band’s monumental eleventh album is solidified by the most electrifying hooks and thunderous production in their pantheon-level discography. But while the latest single from Children of Eve scrapes across the sky with a stadium-shaking chorus, “The Cannibal” digs deeper into the powerful message that has always served as Nightfall’s rallying cry.”Our new single speaks to an insatiable fear that’s been fueled by eons of catechism”, says Nightfall’s half-masked leader Efthimis Karadimas. “I hate the cannibal that lurks inside us, eating us alive from within”.
Since 1991, Nightfall have stood alongside Rotting Christ and Septicflesh as the pioneering trinity of Greek metal. The blackened death metal band sound as vengeful as ever. But the Athenians’ upcoming eleventh album is their darkest and most epic creation yet. Backed by monumental production, a powerful message and the biggest choruses in the band’s 30-year history, with Children of Eve, Efthimis Karadimas and his fellow rebels are set to unite blackened souls everywhere.
After rising from the underground alongside fellow Greek legends in Septicflesh and Rotting Christ, Nightfall vanished back into the shadows before their deadly comeback in 2021. Not only did they reappear with a ferocious new album, but Efthimis Karadimas and his reinvigorated band of melodic slayers returned to stages all over the world.
Greek blackened death metal masters NIGHTFALL are now premiering a new lyric video for the track ‘Mean Machine’ which was originally recorded by THE CRAMPS in 1994. The track was recorded by NIGHTFALL in December 1996 in Tico Tico studios, Finland and served as a bonus track to the “Lesbian Show” album. You can now find the video HERE.
