REVIEW: MIDNIGHT – “HELLISH EXPECTATIONS”

The notorious and prolific Cleveland cult, MIDNIGHT, have been slaying the metal/punk underground with their own, highly addictive brand of lust, filth, and sleaze dating back to the band’s inception in 2003. Filthy, belligerent and obnoxious, MIDNIGHT make music to start fights to. One-man-band, Athenar, has been churning out an ungodly racket, dropping countless demos, splits and EPs, and in 2024 he returns with Midnight’s sixth full-length, Hellish Expectations.

Athenar says about the album: “It’s a knuckle dragger with a fat cutoff. Pure testosterone meat. Probably the most concise and straight to the point MIDNIGHT album to date, and all written in a weekend.  The album was written on pure reaction upon leaving the studio after listening to raw tracks from the previous album Let There Be Witchery.  The final mix of that album was good, but at the time of laying it down in the studio, I didn’t like what I was hearing and demanded a new leviathan of an album to be written that weekend.”

REVIEW: Taking over from what Athenar stated above, his beloved MIDNIGHT has always been a formation of extremes. I would say even the type that you either love or hate, however can’t pass unnoticed. It been two full decades already since the formation of this beast of a band, that gained cult status, not only in their homeland, but definitely in all corners of the world where heavy music is a thing. Coming up with their sixth carnage, lets open this Pandora’s box that houses 10 tracks in under 26 minutes total runtime. “Expect Total Hell” opens the gates of purgatory with nothing less than a rusty riff and a sinister squeal pushing us into the vortex of death’n’roll  meat grinder. Done by the book, this opener is what we always expect from MIDNIGHT – a total hell of a banger delivered with gnarly vocals and instrumental evilness of unmatched proportion. Betting a six-pack, this will be the first track of their live shows at least for this year and beyond.

“Gash Scrape” hits from second spot, engaging with an industrial amplified intro to quickly convert into a sledgehammer, pounding the song title in our heads. The monotonous repetition of “gash scrape” definitely cuts through and dominates the delivery here, replaced from time to time with screams of the dead and that technical guitar solo right in the middle. No mercy and no regret. “Masked and Deadly” (who might that be?!) steps in a mode similar to its predecessor, however we find clearer sound in place, more present guitarwork and lyrical diversity. The track even shows signs of playfulness at some segments, outlining thrashing outbursts and speedy fractions, contributing to qualify it as a complete face-melter. Time to pay some tribute to the Gods and what a better way to do it, then kick-off “Slave of the Blade” in a classical MOTORHEAD manner, keeping that main riff controlling the total construct of the piece from start to end. In under two minutes time MIDNIGHT effectively succeed to raise up the spirits, synthesizing all that is good from their music style, spiced with a plethora of legacy metal mastery. An that solo guitar towards the end is just a jewel in the crown of artistic ingenuity. Love it!

Reaching the middle, opening the “Dungeon Lust” with fast paced intro that generates quite a momentum from the first notes and throwing us in extasy and veneration to the way Athenar and his gang operate with their tools of musical persuasion. Without noticing, the song grabs you by the throat and when reaching the chorus, you’re already in a total dismay, with the sole choice to sing along the two words of the title, which feel as if engraved into your brain. Frantic headbanging is a natural reaction, which I am sure will infect everyone that touch this from the very primary moment. And here comes the “Nuclear Savoir” to take us higher on the scale of speed and smashing riffage. Back to the thrashing roots here, that track carries the watermark of traditional old-school German kick-ass style, best exemplified by juggernauts like SODOM and DESTRUCTION. Being one of the “longest” in the album, the atomic explosion effect is undeniable with that one, making it an excellent mosh-pit detonator, regardless of the several bars of guitar solo bringing a short-lived deceleration at one instant. In number seven, “Deliver Us to Devil” makes entry with a staccato intro, commanded by the rhythm section, turfing the base for the signature vocal slaughter MIDNIGHT excels in. The influences from earlier albums are easy to spot, however those come reinvented and revamped to match the overall gnosis of the band, respecting the nasty stylistics and distorted tonality as foundational elements of its long-lived stage triumph. Undisputable earworm, deserving proper recognition in the dark palette of the release.

Engaging the terminal trio of tracks, heading first with the repentless “Mercyless Slaughtor”, smashes in with a cascade of grinding riffs and pumping bass drums. These serve on a silver platter the insidious vox part, monotonously hammering each and every word, phrase and verse, soaring to the demonic chorus of repetitious praising the vile deeds of the lyrical protagonist. Breaking the barrage is the solo guitar, that halfway thru the song delivers bit of musical diversity and lowers the tension, just before the final far cry of the singer to reinstate the reigning atmosphere of decadence. “Doom Death Desire” goes no further, greeting us with a bestial roar, to tear apart any leftovers of sanity in our heads, swiftly to jump on a hellish gallop of overcharged guitar play, resulting in hazy whirlwind of obliterating sounds. There is only a single second of pause, right after the end of the first chorus and here we go again. Focusing closely on the lyrics, immediately you notice that almost ever word in the cadence begins with a “D”, meaning we can open-heartedly refer to song number nine in the album as the “D song”! 😊 1:40 minutes deep in the composition a short speed-metal solo saves the soul from a total infernal oblivion, abruptly transforming into the fading chord of the outro. Closing the carnage is “F.O.A.L.” (which coming from the chorus stands for “Fu** Off And Live) and I am sure that here the wicked intent of Аthenar and his mischievous crew was to really save the best for last. Being the most “melodious” of all them tracks, that final nail in the coffin is the catchiest earworm according my standards and a potential live performance smash-hit, something I am committed to verify in near future. The fast guitar and way clearer vocals flow in generic synergy, allowing the composition to follow natural path of burgeoning and receive the “most wanted” accolade from the entire tracklist.

CONCLUSION: For many years now, MIDNIGHT are a linchpin of the sub-genre and every output of the band is anticipated with agitation on both sides of the Atlantic, being a default masterpiece candidate. Being a die-hard fan myself, since the dawn of “Farewell to Hell” EP my “hellish expectations” for the 2024 release were as high as always. Happy to say the hooded violators once more lived up to these expectations, delivering the next precious piece of genuine “black rock and roll”, defending their reputation and signature style. True to the tradition, the album is short, songs are well balanced, following a proven pattern, each being an honest and straightforward punch in the face of critics and posers. Last, but not least, the production quality never falls short and add to that the spot on artwork and vicious image of MIDNIGHT, and you have the formula behind the massive success this band enjoys throughout the metal community.

TheNWOTHM Score: 9.5/10

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midnightviolators

Bandcamp: https://midnight-ohio.bandcamp.com/album/hellish-expectations