Two years on from their acclaimed EP release ‘Polarity’, Night Thieves build upon an already solid alt-metal sound when parts of their eagerly awaited full length ‘Metaxis’ take a chunkier turn. The grooves and beat laden melodies that made the EP so appealing are still present, and Jess Moyle’s vocals retain their hugely accessible sound, but the best of this album’s songs present a more confident sounding unit.
To kick things off, however, ‘Obsidian’, often plays like a continuation of the EP material, with an echoing, melodic guitar line, mechanised beats and a pulsing bass taking light cues from early Linkin Park, before exploding into life on a huge chorus that takes the best elements of an alt-metal sound and blends them into a chunky but melodic hook that allows a wall of vocals to shine. The marriage of Jess Moyle’s crying tones and guitarist Paul Andrew’s denser guitar tone recaptures everything that made the EP great, but potentially improves on the sound with a slightly tougher edge. It’s a track that really sticks after a couple of spins, but the fact that ‘Metaxis’ actually includes a couple of superior numbers tells you all you need to know about how much they’ve grown as songwriters.
An instant standout, ‘Running Out of Time’ features a huge riff dropping a chunky guitar against a keyboard drone which makes Night Thieves sound like a hybrid of latter day KMFDM and Collisions, making a great show of the band’s bigger sound, before contrasting that with a clean, but mechanical verse that really allows the vocals to take centre stage. Falling somewhere between the two camps, the number’s busy instrumental section to even makes time for a few old school lead guitar moments, allowing this track to build upon most of Night Thieves’ influences. It’s a number that sounds superb from the off, but even better after the listener has invested a little more time, and no matter where the music goes, Jess proves to be a terrific frontperson, someone always able to inject great melodies into heavier riffs. In terms of capturing a groove, the intro of ‘The Game’ shares a great sound when dirty sounding guitar lines peppered with busy keys capture a perfect alt-metal sound with an almost industrial edge. There’s a huge amount of melody here, too, since the heaviness falls away in places to share an emo-ish sound with a pinch of early Paramore at the heart, allowing for a very accessible track. This is enjoyable throughout, but its best moments are shared the band go all out with a dense riff and when Moyle’s voice rises and falls against Paul’s huge guitar sounds.
‘Mycelia’ takes another heavier approach, whilst remaining distinctly the work of Night Thieves. The opening riffs fuse a gothic metal tone with a groove metal approach resulting in something with a genuine crunch. Throughout the verse, pneumatic drums bring more than a slight influence of metalcore, but unlike most bands associated with that subgenre, a clean vocal makes the jagged edges appear more accessible. As before, busy keys lurking beneath everything suggest a love of early Linkin Park, but unlike parts of ‘Obsidian’, this time around, the keys are used even more as a colourant. It’s clear, just before the two minute mark, that the band are going all out for a heavier approach when a slower, almost doomy riff arrives to lead into a major hook, but in true Night Thieves tradition, that hook allows Jess’s voice to soar, and despite the track’s more aggressive stance, she really maintains a great presence. Throughout the number, the rhythm section play up a storm; Rick Hunter-Burns (bass) and Ryan Deglyn (drums) move through various mood changes and time signatures with ease, giving the complex piece a genuine flow, whilst guitarist Paul shares an impressively dirty tone throughout. With some bands, you can tell who is in the driving seat, metaphorically speaking, but this recording plays like a genuine ensemble piece.
It doesn’t quite match ‘Running’ for immediate thrills, but the self-described “emotional rock anthem” ‘Home’ has the makings of one of the finest Night Thieves recordings to date. Lightly applied, bell-like keys introduce a very gentle melody which has the effect of playing out the arrival of a hugely crunchy guitar and grinding bass for maximum impact. The riff hits like a truck, but a clean lead guitar helps to balance everything with a very strong alt-rock melody. Dropping into a quieter verse, the band’s melodic chops shine through even further when a cleaner guitar and pounding rhythm recall a heavier version of Paramore, which provides the perfect backdrop for Jess’s emotive voice. As great as that sounds already, the track offers much bigger thrills with the return of the heavier riff for the chorus, and the contrast of semi-sludgy sounds and the clarity of the vocal sets something rather striking in place. For most bands, those elements would be enough to sustain the four minute number, but ‘Home’ offers something even better when the second verse is peppered with ringing guitar tones and a more complex bass riff, bringing a touch of post-rock to the Night Thieves’ sound. Here, Jess sounds even more in command of a great vocal and the whole band’s alternative chops show a lot of spark. Captilising on a great chorus again, the band use this as a springboard into a very subtle middle eight where the main melodies are used brilliantly to convey an escalating tension, before everything explodes into a wall of sound where the mix of alternative and heavy sounds reaches a very natural climax.
Elsewhere, the double-pronged ‘In Between’ makes a great feature of the band’s electronica edge and studio based sound during part one, before absolutely exploding with a weighty riff that recalls the grubbiness of the Deftones’ classic ‘Bored’. It would’ve been great if this carried through to the second part, but instead the band drops into more of a bass-led riff, coupling the warmer bottom end sounds with some subtle, clean guitar lines. The expected heaviness arrives for the chorus, revisiting something that sounded like the more intense moments of ‘Home’ before drummer Ryan steers everything unexpectedly towards more of a metalcore influence for a middle eight dominated by pneumatic rhythms. This performance, again, shares various influences and takes a few melodic twists, but everything feels utterly natural. In some ways, its big hook and relatively complex arrangement comes close to being peak Night Thieves, making it ideal for the first time listener who might want to hear something a little deeper than a couple of digital singles.
The first three singles that hit streaming services before the release of ‘Metaxis’ suggested fans were in for a great listen, but there are moments of this album that exceed expectations. This still young unit take alternative metal by the scruff of its neck and give it a welcome shake, and the result is a blend of heaviness and melody that’s really hard to beat. This is worth the price of a download for ‘Home’, ‘Running (Out of Time)’ ‘In Between (Part 2)’ and ‘The Game’, but there are no weak links here: ‘Metaxis’ is a slice of modern metal that sounds genuinely exciting at the time of release. Whether you’re already a fan or the band are an unknown quantity, this is certainly worth checking out – and sooner rather than later.
March 2026