{"id":105808,"date":"2026-02-06T00:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T00:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=105808"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:52:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:52:40","slug":"album-review-wicked-smile-when-night-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-wicked-smile-when-night-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"WICKED SMILE – When Night Falls (2026) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

WICKED SMILE
\nWhen Night Falls<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nNo Dust (2026)<\/span>
\nRating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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When Night Falls<\/em> is the second full-length platter from Melbourne, Australia-based combo Wicked Smile. Lead by vocalist Danny Cecati, the line-up also features the tag team axe attack of Stevie Janevski and Dave Graham, while bass duties are carried out by Tom Nugara and percussion is performed by Andrew Sharp.<\/p>\n

First off I want to comment on the rich vocals of Danny Cecati, someone who would slot nicely into a band like Savatage because his tones are so fiery and potent. The music is equally bewitching to the point that When Night Falls<\/em> will definitely feature in my end of year top 10. At the tail end of last year I was besotted by the albums from Midnight Fortress (Midnight Fortress<\/em><\/a>) and Sacred Leather (Keep The Fire Burning<\/em><\/a>), and I\u2019d happy put these guys in that same bracket.<\/p>\n

The title track is an absolute beast of a tune, a scorching chugging opener that sizzles with a brooding energy. Scores of bands similar to this littered around in the mid-to-late 80s, and it\u2019s great to see these Aussies tapping into that pit of electricity. \u201cDon\u2019t look back, you\u2019ll see what\u2019s coming for you, no escape, you\u2019re running out of time,\u201d<\/em> scowls Cecati. It\u2019s all very darkly and theatrical, smouldering with plumes of smoke which smother the flickering neon alley lights.<\/p>\n

This is what I want my heavy metal to sound like; textured, charismatic and crackling. \u2018Back To Back We Stand\u2019 is 1987 all over again where there\u2019s a partly commercial sway as the drums thud and throb and the melody begins to snake through the haze. \u201cWhen you hear the voices call, don\u2019t let them make you fall,\u201d<\/em> cries Cecati over another rich and steady riff. It\u2019s when I hear bands of this ilk that I realise how justified I am in my criticism of bands like the UK\u2019s Tailgunner, because for authentic, organic and bruising rock this is far more engaging than a sound so synthetic. \u2018Night Time Riders\u2019 is a gloriously melodic track that strides with such purpose and attitude while at the same time being blessed with such stunning melody.<\/p>\n

Sure, there\u2019s nothing new here, but Wicked Smile just know how to rock. \u2018Face Of The Wicked\u2019 harkens back to a marrying of Metal Church, Armored Saint, Lizzy Borden etc. \u2013 pure molten metal that wraps you up in its arms of steel as the steady pace bristles with menace. \u201cLet\u2019s break the silence, drown out all your fears,\u201d<\/em> croons Cecati on the simmering semi-ballad \u2018Heaven\u2019s Falling Down (Crutch)\u2019, a sublime composition of punchy drums and driving axe work. It\u2019s just a divine song from a record so palatable and engulfing as wings of warmth cradle you beneath the star-dotted night sky. Meanwhile, \u2018Before The Rain\u2019 is a straight up rocker as Cecati bellows: \u201cNo more silence, screams of fear,\u201d<\/em> over more textured axe work.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just nice to hear a record today that sounds so wholesome and not synthetic, in spite of the modern production. With a rich mix of mid-tempo (\u2018Rebel Souls\u2019) and up-tempo (\u2018Walking The Wire\u2019 and \u2018Scream N\u2019 Shout\u2019) rockers, When Night Falls<\/em> is a deliciously melodic metal record that pushes all the right buttons and remains heavy through most of its journey while hidden by a cool album cover.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WICKED SMILE When Night Falls No Dust (2026) Rating: 8.5\/10 When Night Falls is the second full-length platter from Melbourne, Australia-based combo Wicked Smile. Lead by vocalist Danny Cecati, the line-up also features the tag team axe attack of Stevie Janevski and Dave Graham, while bass duties are carried out by Tom Nugara and percussion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6009],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-wicked-smile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105808"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105809,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105808\/revisions\/105809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}