The premier question I had before and while listening to the new record was: Is NACHTGESCHREI just one of the countless bands trying to jump upon the bandwagon of the obviously trendy Medieval Metal/Rock or is their album named Hoffnungsschimmer (ray of hope) worth its name?

Well, after listening for the first time and a fortiori after the second one it became pretty sure NACHTGESCHREI deserved finding a supportive label with Massacre-Records that quickly - only 2 years after the band was formed and short after the release of their very first demo named Promo 2007. According to the four songs Windstill, Deine Spur, Räuber der Nacht, Drei Lügen and Das Spiel, which were released on Promo 2007 already, eight more songs (including an instrumental one) are offered in the band's very own and fresh style. The clean and very metal-like vocals are lyrically doing without any shopworn medieval fairy tales about sorcerers, hangman's brides and gleeman's curses. Instead of it the lyrics deal once more and once less critically, but always directly, with modern themes.
The bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy are used in a very melodically, but not too excessive or overacting way. Sometimes it is gently audible that a part of the septet was involved in a melodic Death Metal band before ;)
The songs got the drive and put you in a good mood, but on the other hand they can be romantic and calm and thoughtful as well – this special mixture of the record seems to be joined in the last song Reise zu den Seen. If I should choose a favorite song from Hoffnungsschimmer I would like to pick the straightforward, but no way boring one, Drei Lügen.... maybe this would not be the worst choice for a single release ;)

I had a hard job while I was trying to search some covered or copied parts. Sometimes I got the feeling I have heard this somewhere before, but couldn't find an original in my record collection neither while searching in Subway To Sally and In Extremo nor searching across Schandmaul records – I would say NACHTGESCHREI are closest in style to the last mentioned one of the bands, if I have to compare them. Finally I have come to the conclusion that I got the impression of familiar melodies only because of the record's extremely high “earworm-potential” :)
Those of you who like bands as In Extremo, Subway To Sally, Schandmaul and Saltatio Mortis, but who are fed up of all those Medieval rock-bands only offering their tries of copying, you really should give NACHTGESCHREI a try...