Richard HolmesMidnight – Hellish Expectations (Metal Blade)
Midnight stink of leather, sweat, stale beer and vomit. Indeed, Athenar’s creation is more of a pheromone than a band – and one that ignites a lust for sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s the antidote to plasticized, over-produced modern ‘metal’. This is gutter-level, primal music… and it has been that way since ’03.
Sure, signing to Metal Blade for 2020’s explosive Rebirth by Blasphemy gave Midnight a bigger platform, but Athenar’s ‘violators’ were tuning into his filthcasts long before that. A cult following was already in place, thanks to razor sharp cuts like Rip This Hell and Evil Like A Knife.
And let’s face it, there was little chance that the masked Ohioan was going to tone anything down for his sixth full-length. The guy doesn’t do power ballads. His contemptuous rasp wouldn’t suit them anyway.
So what’s new?
Well, Athenar has upped his game even further.
2022’s Let There Be Witchery was a fine record, but Hellish Expectations eclipses it, for its sheer, Motörpowered majesty.
‘Black rock ‘n’ roll’ has always been at the heart of Midnight’s sound… and this record is a joyous, unbridled celebration of that spirit. Indeed, unlike some of Athenar’s previous efforts, the pace barely lets up. The only diversion from the album’s white line fever is Mercyless Slaughtor, a relentless sewer groove lurking between the typically brash Deliver us to Devil and the apocalyptic Doom Death Desire.
Opener Expect Total Hell screams its vicious intent over three glorious minutes, Slave of the Blade raises a glass or ten to Lemmy, Philthy and Fast Eddie, and Nuclear Saviour is a venomous burst of punk fury.
Athenar isn’t fucking around here. He has the scent of blood in his nostrils. And he delivers a death blow in F.O.A.L. (Fuck Off And Live), the album’s closing statement. This is the anti-anthem we all need… and it neatly encapsulates what makes Midnight special. Yes, the bastards can try to grind you down, but when you have a bulletbelt strapped to your chest and a middle finger raised, they can’t win.
Athenar photo by Hannah Verbeuren.
