Being a metal band and sharing an album release date with Judas Priest is like being a Hollywood director and sharing a movie release date with the latest iteration of Star Wars. It is, in a word, rough. That said, if I were a metal band releasing a new album on the same day as the mighty Priest, I’d want to be Midnight. The one man blackened speedpunk machine has been one of the most prolific underground acts of the past 20 years, gaining a strong legion of devotees (or as they call them, “violators”) with their Motörhead meets Venom noise attack.
While recent Midnight outings have not been a complete deviation from their early “Unholy and Rotten” roots per se, there have been some noticeable changes. Both Rebirth by Blasphemy (2020) and Let There Be Witchery (2022) boasted riffs, hooks, and maneuvers reminiscent of the NWOBHM’s heyday, the former in particular recalling in parts Angel Witch, Tygers of Pan Tang, and *gasp* early Def Leppard (emphasis on the word “early”). Considering this ongoing trajectory, I expected (no pun intended) more of the same of this sort of, not really sonic evolution on their latest album, Hellish Expectations. This is anything but the case.
Hellish Expectations is easily Midnight’s fastest and filthiest album since No Mercy for Mayhem (2014). Sandwiching 10 songs into just a little over 25 minutes, it’s less an album proper and more a barrage of the senses, going for the jugular with Black Metal era Venom devilry and Discharge inspired grime. Sure, there’s an underlying sense of Motörhead’s outlaw spirit, especially on the all too brief boogie metal banger that is “Slave of the Blade”. However, the overall vibe of cuts like “Expect Total Hell”, “Nuclear Savior”, and “Deliver Us to Devil” is that of chaotic metalpunk conjured up from the lowest pit of the underworld. Who better to conjure forth these diabolical sounds than Athenar?
Whereas the last few Midnight albums had some rather distinct outliers, the only unexpected moments (again with the puns) on Hellish Expectations come in the form of “Dungeon Lust” and “Mercyless Slaughtor”. On the surface, one might dismiss these as run of the mill metalpunk, characteristic of a Midnight affair, but listen again. Those riffs are dark, creepy, and catchy, lying somewhere between Misfits and Samhain. Not to mention, get a load of that downright spooky horror punk atmosphere. Perhaps opening up for Danzig last year impacted Athenar in more ways than one?
The same way Judas Priest are still great at being Judas Priest, Midnight are still great at being Midnight. No matter how much shit changes in the world, we can always rely on these “Masked and Deadly” devils to rock n’ roll our cares away, even if for only 25ish minutes. In an age where Motörhead exists exclusively via their back catalog and AC/DC are about to embark on what is almost definitely their final tour (though stranger things have happened), let’s be grateful that Midnight are still sharp and evil, evil, evil like a knife!
9 out of 10
Label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Black/Speed Metal
For fans of: Motörhead, Venom, Discharge