Ex-Fields of the Nephilim drummer Nod may write and sing on the Last Rites debut CD, but sensibly he's hired a singer for gigs. Starting, as the album does, with Resolution, the sound was ear-splittingly loud, meaning there was a loss in subtlety. The new singer had an Ian Curtis-like intensity and looked like he had seen some things in his time. His vocals are harsher than Nod's, but they worked. An ill-advised cover of the Nephilim classic Phobia sounded more like Motorhead's Ace Of Spades than it ever did before, and served only to remind us who Last Rites weren't. However, the instrumental Galleon and the Eastern-infected climax of The Powers That Be gave a good example of how powerful a band can be. Stronger on atmosphere than tunes you can actually hum, Last Rites are a worthier heir to the Nephilim's crown than Rubicon or the god-awful Nefilim.