“Here we are for Round 2 of Battle of the Bands. Round 1 took place back on August 12, when Ray Alder and Mark Zonder conspired to release their exceptionally strong A-Z album. Now we’ve got the response from Jim Matheos and Joey Vera, another eponymous debut, by their new band Kings of Mercia.” Fates be warned.
“AMG.com has ridden the The Night Flight Orchestra (“NFO”) horse pretty hard since the release of their first album in 2012. The illustrious Dr. Fisting (then masquerading as Fisting Andrew Golota) was their discoverer and therefore the designated reviewer thus far. Now that he is absent, presumed dead, I have taken up this mantle to impart opinions on a band that our founder abhors.” New tickets to paradise.
“Night Flight Orchestra have rapidly escalated from ‘modern metal dudes pretending to be classic rockers’ into something far more authentic and interesting. Their 2012 debut Internal Affairs was a shockingly good burst of late-1970s glory, especially considering the Soilwork and Arch Enemy members involved. 2015’s Skyline Whispers took the band’s sound into the synth-heavy ’80s, resulting in heavy rotation in the AMG office and a spot on my own Top 10(ish) list that year. Further solidifying their legitimacy, NFO recently signed a deal with Nuclear Blast, leading to the release of their 3rd record Amber Galactic.” Sleazy nights, galactic lights.
