I stumbled upon Poland-based Night Mistress and their debut full-length “The Back of Beyond” while searching online for NWOBHM bands I hadn’t heard before. They stood apart from the pack with their fast-paced ragers, strong guitar leads and incredible vocal pipes courtesy of singer Chris Sokolowski who’s deliver bears more than a passing resemblance to both Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford.

“Into The Madness” picks up where their debut left off with a strong selection of power metal anthems. “Hand of God” stands out as the strongest track with its huge chorus and monstrous riffs. “Until the Day Will Dawn” is decidedly epic at nearly seven minutes long with strong melodic guitarmonies and a thunderous double-kick throughout. “Hell Race” is, as its title suggests, turbo charged and frenetic. On the whole, the lyrics don’t dig too deep into swords ‘n sorcery territory, instead sticking to vague cliche power metal imagery (i.e. “where is the thunder in your blood”) making the whole affair a bit easier to stomach.

I had high hopes for “Into The Madness” and fortunately Night Mistress delivered. Highly recommended.