Nightmare Opus is an EP from Sweden's Palantir that comes on the heels of their last full-length album, 2022's Chasing a Dream. Palantir have continued in the same vein on Nightmare Opus with straightforward power metal, on the neo-classical side but well short of what I would call "cinematic." Nightmare Opus features two instrumentals (an obligatory intro based on "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss and one that sounds like Nintendo video game music), an acoustic re-recording of "Escaping Reality" from Lost Between Realities, the band's debut, an acoustic piece sung in Swedish (I assume), and three new power metal tunes. Twenty-nine minutes might seem long for an EP, but it is really only the three new songs you are going to buy this for. "A Distant Place," "Sailing On," and "Nightmare Opus" are good songs, upbeat with some nice melodies and singable choruses, exactly what you want from power metal. They aren't anything we haven't heard from Palantir before, but if you enjoyed Chasing a Dream, you'll surely enjoy these new songs. I'd rather have a full album of new material, but Palantir are good at what they do, so I'll take Nightmare Opus until the next record is ready.
