Since 2003 this Cleveland Black metal band has mixed and fused their delicious brew of the black stuff with a speed that takes traditional black metal in all sorts of directions, that not many bands of the same ilk even dare to try. Originally only formed just to release singles and EP’s by one-man musical behemoth ATHENAR. The back catalog this one-man black metal god has produced is quite staggering. He has had the help of too many names to fit on this review and if you get the chance take a look at his Encyclopedia Metalium page it’s veritable who’s who of the American scene. I have to say that it’s one of the most infectious extreme records of the last few years. You can hear his genuine love for the founders of the genre Venom. On several occasions, I was certain that I had put the wrong record on and Conrad Lant (Cronos) was a guest vocalist.
It’s a breath of fetid basement air to these ears to come across a band that worships the sort of black metal from the birth of the genre.
Quite often these days the vocals are lost in a blaze of brimstone and hellfire and instead, we get a guttural snarl that often overtakes the entire recording. But here is the opposite not only is the vocal engaging it is also like the music has a melody to it that feels so original. Lyrically no surprise to any of us out there who have been on the fringes of the extreme scene since its inception. But if you are new to this and are thinking about dabbling your toes into the murky waters of the river that is Black Metal then really you can’t go much wrong with this album.
Snake Obsession, Let there be sodomy, Devil Virgin are but a few of the tracks that are so bloody catchy and groovy that you just can’t but be pulled in. It may be a gateway to much more extreme music for a lot of you reading this just like Venom was for me.
And if this is the case to Midnight I say JOB WELL DONE. It goes to show that if like ATHENAR you have the drive and talent to back it up you too can make an infectious slab of extreme metal that is one of the best albums of its kind to be released for a very long time.
There may not be anything truly revolutionary in extreme music anymore but there are bands like Midnight, with one canny eye over their shoulders at the music that has gone before them and one straight ahead to the music that is now. Mixing the two to make a rollercoaster of an album that this jaded reviewer cannot stop playing.
So no matter your level of emersion in the world of heavy music this album will satisfy your very blackened soul or your money back.
Midnight: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: Metal Blade Records
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Tony Evans
