Nightstalker – Return To The Point Of No Return

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published March 28, 2025 · Updated March 28, 2025

Nightstalker is a stoner rock/ metal band from Athens, Greece. Formed in 1989, they are the godfathers of the Greek heavy rock movement. Pioneering a hard rocking metal sound that infuses heavy riffs with raw psychedelia, the band has a rather great collection of releases since their inception. Their albums include: 1994’s SideFx, 1996’s Use, 2000’s The Ritual, 2004’s Just a Burn, 2009’s Superfreak, 2012’s Dead Rock Commandos, 2016’s As Above, So Below, and 2019’s Great Hallucinations. They just released their ninth studio recording entitled, Return from the Point of No Return on March 14th 2025. The current lineup consists of: Argy on vocals, Andreas Lagios on bass, Tolis Motsios on guitar, and Dinos Roulos on drums. Return From The Point Of No Return contains eight tracks in thirty eight minutes and was released on Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

“Dust” kicks things right off with a righteous rocking song of hard driven grooves and fuzzy psychedelic rhythms. Nightstalker wastes no time on this one, beginning with a guitar riff that cranks into a heavy rhythm section of low end rumbling bass and hard pounding drums. The vocals join right in with their district Ozzy snarl, igniting the pure rocking fury with gallons of gasoline. “Heavy Trippin’” then starts with a warm bass line that rips into the fuzz before dialing back down. The vocals from the only original member Argy, begins as the music stays tame. The heavy riffing builds back up and the song flows nicely with some scattered drum fills too. The song has a light to heavy transition that intensifies the fuzz rock sensation. Motsios lays down some great leads as the music rocks on to its conclusion. The third track called “Uncut” is a banger! Beginning with drums and then the bass closely following, the song has a riffalicious desert rock groove to it. Roulos hammers those drums with fury and fills as the stoner riffs take form. Right around the 3:20 mark, Lagios lays down a killer bass groove to the barreling drumming. The scorching guitar leads kick in right after. The vocals are expertly executed throughout the track, which further demonstrates the maturity and drive of Nightstalker.

The title track “Return To The Point Of No Return” takes on a riff rocking surge right from the start. The vocals have a cool filtering effect on the chorus as the band crushes through the rhythms with precision and focused force. Midway through the track, the bass delivers an infectious groove-laden break with the drums, as the guitars rip into a bluesy lead. The band has a penchant for mixing in little nuanced breaks or melodies to supplement the heavy riffing that ensues.

“Shipwrecked Powder Monkey” is a pretty laid back track balanced with some doom heavy riffage. The clean guitars and vocals transition nicely with this one and help separate the full on rocking. “Shallow Grave” is also a lush and quiet piece that augments Nightstalker’s softer tones. Driven by a dynamic bass line, exciting guitar melodies, and soulful vocals, the song has a beautiful flow to it, as it intensifies a bit in the heaviness.

The seventh track entitled “Falling Inside”, is another great tune. It has a grunge like rock glide that carries on great melodies and plenty of fiery guitar solos too. The eighth and final track on Return From The Point Of No Return is called “Flying Mode”. The slow and doomy pace from the beginning gives a nod to Black Sabbath as Argy’s Ozzy-esc vocals command the ride. After two minutes, the pace ascends upward with another slab of doom, fused with psychedelic spirits. At the four and a half minute interval, the song shifts again with a funky groove of bass and tribal-esc drumming. Motsios delivers some more electrifying leads as the rhythm section keeps up the momentum. The song plays along until it gradually fades out. Nightstalker are in top form on this album! It’s been nearly six years since Great Hallucinations was released and the band sounds better than ever.