ALBUM REVIEW: Näe’bliss by Red Cain

Inspired by the Wheels of TIme series, Näe’bliss from Canada’s Red Cain pays homage to Robert Jordan‘s epic fantasy.

With Näe’bliss, the band opted to step into the reverse side of the Wheels of Time story that of the Forsaken, antagonists, instruments of the Great Lord of the Dark, and the brutal and captivating allure of letting Chaos reign supreme.

The band says this about Näe’bliss

We are all massive fantasy fans, and for us, Wheel of Time rubs shoulders with Lord of the Rings as a genre-defining epic fantasy series that started it all. The world of the Wheel is a brutal, compelling world with multitudes of fascinating characters, and we were particularly interested in exploring its more visceral aspects – an area which begs to be paired with heavy metal. We’ve seen some of our musical icons, like Blind Guardian, successfully go down this path, and it was magnificent to see new musical interpretations of those stories spun out by them – not to mention some bloody good fun. Now, it is our turn to ride forward in another turn of the Wheel.

With Näe’bliss, Red Cain has created their own progressive metal epic fantasy that is fuelled with blast beats, howling guitars, wailing vocals, and rumbling bass. The intricate lyrics tell their own tales and have captured the essence of the adversaries and nemesis of the story.

Perhaps for me, storyline aside, is the wonderful vocal dynamic between Evgeniy Zayarny and Kalie Yan and how they play off each other in a beautiful tit for tat of clean versus harsh and singing versus operatic as if they were the protagonist and antagonist.

Let the chaos reign supreme, crank Näe’bliss to 11.

MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “The Great Hunt”, “We Are Chaos”, “The Man Who Can’t Forget (Part I)”

FAVOURITE TRACK: “The Great Hunt”, “We Are Chaos”, “Fires of Heaven” (featuring James Delbridge)