A Force To be reckoned With!

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present MIDNIGHT FORCE’s highly anticipated third album, Severan, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Formed in 2016, Glasgow’s MIDNIGHT FORCE are a heavy metal band that set out to follow in the footsteps of their heroes of old – US heavy metal, the NWOBHM movement, and ‘70s rock – as well as inject some fresh blood into the genre they love so much.

MIDNIGHT FORCE released their full-length debut, Dunsinane, in 2018 to much critical acclaim. DYING VICTIMS would release the cassette version later that year, and the band went on to play Brofest in Newcastle as well as support slots for the likes of High Spirits, Riot, and Ross the Boss in Glasgow and Angel Witch, Savage Master, and Riot City in Germany. Continuing that momentum, MIDNIGHT FORCE performed at other such notable festivals as Harder Than Steel Festival, Hell over Hammaburg, and Echoes from the Labyrinth in Crete as well as tours in Germany, Ireland, and the UK and shows in Paris, Athens, Marseille, and Madrid.

In October 2019, MIDNIGHT FORCE released their second album, Gododdin. Taking the elements of Dunsinane further – songwriting both heroic and melancholic (and even a bit folksy at times), hot-rockin’ execution to push that bravado further, and a rustic atmosphere equally 1970s and medieval – Gododdin was exactly the sophomore record MIDNIGHT FORCE needed to both expand and focus their ancient aesthetic. Olde Worlde Heavy Metal this was, based on historical lore and myth: in many ways, the band had arrived.

After a two-year hiatus induced by restrictions on international travel and live shows, MIDNIGHT FORCE released a new single in September 2022 and returned to the stage. Meanwhile, the seeds of their third album were being planted – and at long last, they’ve blossomed into Severan. Bristling with energy somehow stoic and patient, fit to burst but brewing dark thoughts, Severan sees MIDNIGHT FORCE truly taking their influences into a realm entirely their own. Totaling nine songs across 46 minutes, Severan sounds HUGE yet intimate. Its scope is again historical, the songwriting hits frantic peaks and stern valleys, the execution is even sharper whilst evincing old-school grit, and their characteristic atmosphere is OLDER than ever. Indeed, MIDNIGHT FORCE are engagingly earnest in their sonic campaign – true metal never dies and lives eternally, unfazed by time and trends, and its champions carry a great weight upon their shoulders of leather & steel – but above all, the aesthetic signpost is superlative songwriting, and this Scottish-German band have delivered their most refined set of songs to date. Severan is transportive to the extreme!

Five years in the making, MIDNIGHT FORCE’s Severan has arrived bearing banners of ancient metal myth & magick. Raise your swords and shields, those whose hearts beat True!

LINE-UP
Brendan Crow – Bass
Peter Werninck – Drums
Ansgar Burke – Guitars
John Gunn – Vocals


Artwork by Umbrae Lignorum Pyroart

REVIEW

I must confess that before today, I had only heard a smattering of MIDNIGHT FORCE songs, but of those ones that I have heard, I have greatly enjoyed. “Killer” from their debut release Dunsinane remains a staple of my Tidal playlist. Hearing of their third album was a treat, as their most recent album Gododdin released in 2019, a year before I properly fell into the NWOTHM rabbit hole.

I love the sharpness of MIDNIGHT FORCE’s logo, and as a lover of Greco art, the album gets a passing grade for me as well.

“Megas Alexandros” begins with a nasty foreboding riff that made me recall the darker recesses of NWOBHM. As the vox of Gunn came in, I found myself instantly comparing him to the Metal God, Rob Halford. The slowed down tempo at the halfway point sent this song into the stratosphere for me, verging on epic levels.

“Three Empires Fall” opened with a very Stained Class-era PRIEST riff, and that’s what the whole song reminded me of. The chorus has an infectiousness to it that was quick to get stuck in my head and refuse to leave. Like the previous track, near the end, MIDNIGHT FORCE turns it up to 11 and blitzes their way to the finish line with a wondrous banshee’s wail. Banger.

“Bergentrückung” opened at a much slower pace than the preceding tracks, with a borderline doomy riff, but it was the melodic Eastern-flair guitar between the riffs that really snapped me up. Once the song begins to quicken and shift into a borderline speed metal romp, it really hits its stride. Accompanied marvelously by a hauntingly gorgeous guitar solo.

“The Fires of Nanyue” began with a nice drumroll, brief but a great change from the previous tracks. Whereas the album up to this point had reminded me mightily of JUDAS PRIEST, this track evoked a much more MAIDEN-esque feeling in me, which worked as MAIDEN is my all-time favorite band. If there’s one thing I have to commend MIDNIGHT FORCE for, its that they know how to end a song, as this one ended with another tweak that made it really feel like the end.

“Choseon” offered a wonderful change, in that it’s about the Japanese invasion of Korea (from what I can tell). This is a awesome for me as a history lover, and as a metalhead, because metal tends to limit its lyrics to European viewpoints and history. Once more, their PRIEST influence is quite strong, but I actually appreciate that a lot. There’s a lot of primarily MAIDEN influenced acts in NWOTHM, but a strangely lower number of PRIEST ones. All told, this was a great song with some sick lyrics that made me more interested in the subject.

“Last Raider King” began as a more traditional power metal affair, albeit thankfully more influenced by 80s power metal than modern power. The lyrics in this one were a true standout, I found myself gripped to every word. I also have a soft spot for bands who sing about history, so that’s an automatic win. Gunn hits a sizzling high note near the end of this one, that, to no surprise, was a perfect crescendo to this track.

“Sleeping City” opened with a wonderful riff, and this one had itself firmly entrenched in epic metal territory, akin to greats like MANILLA ROAD. An absolutely stunning guitar solo near the middle nearly stole the whole album. I realize I haven’t mentioned the bass or drumming yet, but they are present and audible (no And Justice For All syndrome here!), and both are exemplary at setting and maintaining the rhythm and groove of each song. This was a gnarly track, with some great lyrics, as to be expected.

“Row, Massilians, Row”. Absolutely love that opening riff. There’s a strange macabre nature to the progression in this one, that I found equal parts addictive and strange, but in a good way. This was one of those tracks that left me near speechless by the end, just an all around masterclass. Also, the brief little touch of flute/pipes at the end was the cherry on top.

“Severan” was our final track, as well as our longest at nearly 8 minutes (buckle up!). If you thought that the previous song was a masterclass, this one somehow manages to be even better. This one is chock full of great riffing, particularly at around the 4:00 minute mark, and the great imagination inducing lyrics that I’ve come to expect of MIDNIGHT FORCE. It’s very easy to let my mind wander and paint a story with the lyrics.

CONCLUSION

Oh yeah, this was right up my alley! Definitely going back and checking out MIDNIGHT FORCE’s earlier work! The JUDAS PRIEST influence is clear, but the band does it in such a way that doesn’t feel derivative, putting their own spin on it that gives them an identity all their own. Severan is far and away one of my favorite albums of the year thus far, and assuredly on the shortlist for Top 10 or even Top 5 territory. Don’t miss this one!

TheNWOTHM Score: 9.5/10

MIDNIGHT FORCE’s Severan releases on 27 September, 2024
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