Nightwatchers – Common Crusades

Common Crusades is Nightwatchers second album since their inception back in 2016 the first being La Paix Ou Le Sable (Peace Or Sand), the new album from the title alone seems to have a theme that carries on from their first release.  A shouting out on the wrongs of colonialism, a wanton need to press ideals of your nation on others through violent means if need be.

The band name Nightwatchers itself has connotations of guardians of good against evil, and after reading in more depth as to their intentions as a band, this has been even more reinforced, as the last album was lyrically involved in taking to task the crimes and abuses perpetrated by the French state in Algeria and Cameroon in particular, yet this also stands for all of the colonial occupied territories, the new album continues this theme forward and looks in more depth at how this has and still does affect the French people ideals and aims in some parts of everyday life.

So where do we stand on the music, well they certainly have a calling to arms sound threading through the heart of the sound that defines them, a blend of marching beats, melodic undercurrents and powerful headstrong guitar riffs.

‘For The Sake Of The People And The Nation’ lets loose its revolutionary anthemic sound go forth and infect the listener, ‘White Fathers’ has a much more defined attack on a much more specify target, that being the founding member of the White Fathers Cardinal Charles Levigerie, whose role in justifying French colonisation was at the forefront of the movement, this song shows a much softer melodic side to the band than sits throughout the majority of the album.

Something that does stand out within the style of this albums sound, is when the melody does come through, it gives a huge reminder of Rotten Mind in its guitar style, drum beats and energy, ‘1905 & The Muslim Exception’, ‘The Phantom Men’ and ‘Just A Matter Of Time’ have this in spades.

Is this an album that will sit in your playlist for long?  I’d like to hope so, if only for the fact that the political and social insights are worthy of listening to, although from a musical perspective this is a powerful album, the subject matter is a little heavily laid on and has huge historical facts that would benefit more in book form.

Out via Lövely Records on 8th Oct

You can check out all of the bands info and music on their Bandcamp or Facebook