Review by Felix on February 2, 2020.

The first albums of Nocturnal offered decent thrash metal of the harder kind. I enjoyed these outputs without getting infected by the music. The pieces did not develop a long-term effect, at least from my point of view. I was therefore not especially looking forward to the band´s third full-length but Storming Evil changed my attitude completely. Now I am concerned with only one question: when will they release their fourth album? It is urgently necessary.

To start with, I still do not like the paintings of Phil Lawvere. But apart from the unfortunate selection of the stereotype cover, the performance of frontwoman Tyrannizer and her bandmates is convincing on whole line. The sophisticated song material is quite diverse, although Nocturnal do not cross the borders of their genre. Short blast beat parts are well integrated ("Preaching Death"), but this thrashing army also shines with the slowly crawling "Taken by Fire". Due to its flattening riffs, the latter marks a mighty and devastating anthem and Tyrannizer´s long, drawn-out screams appear as an acoustic flamethrower. While avoiding using only one compositional approach, Nocturnal prove their skills in different disciplines. They create brief eruptions ("Ripping Blades") as well as more complicated tracks such as "Tyrants of Damnation". Each and every song contributes to the overwhelming general impression. And, of course, the remarkable quality of the individual songs is the basis for the very successful flow of the album. Admittedly, its title might be a cliché. Nevertheless, with regard to the band´s belligerence and energy, Storming Evil describes the blackened thrash inferno in a suitable manner.

It goes without saying that the vocals of Tyrannizer do not sound very female. Her hoarse roaring increases the level of aggression without delivering an exceptional vocal performance. This is part of the mysterious formula of Nocturnal; they do not use unusual ingredients, but the result sounds exceptionally good. It can clearly be seen how much engagement Nocturnal have put into this album. Due to this fact, the band can pride itself on equipping the songs with an appropriate production. It simply presents the un-adultered sound of thrash metal while using the technical possibilities of today. To describe it differently, the band is not obsessively focused on the sound of the eighties. Fortunately, the sound does not have a sterile character. The sharp and precise riffs can benefit most from the tightness of the production. They lay the foundation for the uncontrollable fierceness that dominates the atmosphere of an album, which definitely does not contain throwaway tracks.

I strongly recommend checking the entire full-length. But if you are short on time, "Crushing the Bones" may give you an impression of the album´s direction. The fast-paced song scores with excellent riffs, fantastic guitar lines, well inserted breaks and a highly memorable chorus. In view of such songs, it well could be that Nocturnal will occupy a top position in terms of German black thrash metal.

Rating: 9 out of 10