London band Night Thieves fuse seismic riffs, hooky vocals and synth soundcapes in a powerful alternative metal sound that they describe as “massive, catchy earworms.”
The quartet started out when vocalist Jess and bassist Rick were looking for a new project in 2017. They discovered guitarist Paul, who brought droptuned riffs to the mix that began to define the Night Thieves project, before completing the lineup with drummer Ryan.
On the sound they’ve crafted since, the band told us: “A unique, high-energy alt metal sound, blending rock, metal, and pop elements with soaring, anthemic vocals.”
Our latest taste of this is Mycelia, which was released in January and was produced by Romesh Dodangoda. It opens up with a stabbing guitar that kicks into a chunky riff with piercing synths in the background. Jess’ feisty vocals take over, with twinkling synths and a chunky riff in support, before the lines “‘Cause nothing’s but an illusion, Trapped into a dream, Lost among confusion, Misled again and again,” bridge into the catchy chorus “When will I learn, When will I find, Myself amongst the sea of souls, I try to break out.”
A second verse is supported by slightly heavier stabbing guitars, ending with a big scream and more intense driving guitars before bridging back into another chorus. The pace slows with twinkling synths and echoey vocals, light drums kick in, before flying into a delicious stabbing riff under Jess’ intense vocals. That leads us into a final blast of the bridge and chorus to bring the track to a powerful conclusion.
On the track, the band said: “The reception has been really amazing, and we are so grateful for anyone who has given it a spin! It’s quite a unique track, opening with a stomping intro and into a fierce rhythmic verse, with huge chorus and pit-ready breakdowns! It’s been really fun to rehearse, and we can’t wait to play it live on our upcoming UK dates.”
Mycelia and previous single Obsidian, which you can check out below, comes from Night Thieves’ debut album Metaxis, which will be released later this month. On the album, they told us: “Honestly, it’s been such a rollercoaster to get to this point with a lot of highs and lows, but we are so proud of what we have created. Making an album has really given us the creative space to show what we can do. Each song has its own unique personality, but flows start to finish as one body of work with lots of variety.
“We love all of the tracks, and picking singles was difficult because every song on the album could have been a single. At the moment, we’re riding high on Mycelia as it’s just been released and next single ‘Home’ is a special song to us, which we think will really connect with listeners. There is also a song called See You On The Other Side featuring a guest vocalist. It’s a beast of a track with lush ambient guitars, driving rhythms, elements of prog with airy clean vocals and a death metal scream or two!” You can also get more of a taste for the Night Thieves sound on their debut EP Polarity, which has also been added to our New Band of the Week Spotify playlist.
The Night Thieves sound draws on influences like Bring Me the Horizon, Architects and Incubus. The band’s members especially like technical yet catchy, hooky bands that, in their words, “are always evolving but are consistently amazing,” such as Novelists, Northlane, Spiritbox and Periphery.
And on what inspires them to write music, they explain: “A lot of what we write about is based on our own experiences and themes that everyone can connect with, combined with whatever we are reading or listening to. The theme for Metaxis is about journey and existing in-between states. It’s inspired by Greek philosophy of existing between two worlds.
“The songs explore themes like personal transformation, finding where you belong, and how moments in between time, or when you are at a crossroads in life, can shape who you are. We have a track called The Game, which questions whether our actions are of free will or predetermined by code, so there’s quite a lot to unpack if you listen deep enough. Not that you need to to enjoy the album!”
That certainly has us excited for what’s to come on Night Thieves’ debut album, which will be released next Friday (20 March), ahead of which they’ll be releasing its third single, Home. The band will be celebrating the album drop with a headline tour alongside Buried In Bermuda, who were also our New Band of the Week back in June, next month, with a few festival appearances to follow through the summer, including playing Hammerdown, SOS and Northants Rocks.
And the band added: “It’s an exciting time for us at the moment, and we especially cannot wait to bring Metaxis to the stage. So if you like what you hear, come down to a show and hang out with us!”
You can follow Night Thieves on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube.
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