MIDNIGHT - "Let There Be Witchery"
Rustbelt Rock Reviews
By: Z.M. Delgado
Zackolantern.com
Volume #5: MIDNIGHT -“Let There Be Witchery”
Release date: March 4, 2022
Metalblade
Well, I’m not sure how to say this, but I have somehow been woefully ignorant to the existence of MIDNIGHT until very recently. While I have seen patches and shirts floating around the scene for some time now, I never took the effort to check them out. That is until last week, when I was talking with my old friend and Punk Rocker, Swamp Donkey (Guitarist/Rabid Reason). Swampy and I are always looking for bands that “walk between the tribes,” as I like to say. Meaning simply: musical acts that are a little bit Punk and a little bit Metal. For example: Dead Heat and Municipal Waste, mentioned in my last review, but also D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Negative Approach, Eyehategod, The Misfits and of course, the greatest of them all Motorhead.
When Swampy asked me if I was into MIDNIGHT, I told him I was not. He gave them his revolting endorsement and suggested I check them out, mentioning that they are in fact, one of Cleveland’s own. Now I’ll check out any band that has the Swamp Donkey’s approval, especially if they’re hometown musicians, so I popped online and tracked down some live footage. I came across an energetic performance of masked musicians clad in leather and denim. A cool look, but stage presence and image can only take you so far and ultimately it is the music that must do the talking. The audio quality was rough, but it was more than enough to peak my interest. Wanting a closer look, I downloaded their first album “Satanic Royalty” and… fell in love.
I think it was my third pass through that record before I briefed Chen Killingsworth on the subject. I told him something to the effect of “Imagine Motorhead, but the guy from The Gallows singing and Glen Danzig is writing the lyrics.” That’s what I got from MIDNIGHT initially. They have that hard, fast attack that is more Rock n’ Roll than Metal, like Lemmy and the boys. That energy that drives the Punks wild, and the power that draws in the Metalheads. The vocals have a rasp that is, in a way almost comparable to Lemmy’s gravely delivery, but not near enough to be considered an attempt at a cheap copy. As I mentioned, I find hints of British Hardcore, but also a touch of Duane Peters (U.S. Bombs) in the vocal style. This nuanced, yet important, difference helps set them apart from other acts I have heard that are too heavily influenced by Motorhead: They try to impersonate them, and in doing so, insult what they were. This is not the case with MIDNIGHT. Yes, they have a very Motorhead vibe, but their style is unique. That is in part because of the third part of my analysis for Chen: Danzig is writing the lyrics. Or near enough: Satanism, violence, death and dark sexual desire are all common themes through the limited peak I have had into MIDNIGHT’s music. This is a band that has drawn influences from many different branches of the Metal tree, and created a unique sound that I am really digging.
Those were my thoughts after hearing “Satanic Royalty.” A very solid “debut” album, from a clearly talented band, that somehow managed to avoid my radar for far too long. I told Swampy as much, and he advised I dig into the entire catalogue, vouching for it all. Well… almost all of it. He admitted he hadn’t picked up “the new one” yet. The following day I did an internet search, and realized that “the new one” was new… like NEW new. As in, it came out just last month. Coming to this realization, and adding my obvious excitement over finding this act, I decided that I needed to review this album. So I popped on to bandcamp and was delighted to see the LP available, on what looks to be a very sexy, black and purple slab of vinyl. Alas, that bad boy is still in transit, but I fired up the digital download as fast as my laptop would allow.
MIDNIGHT’s fifth full length album “Let There Be Witchery” dropped into my life just yesterday and I have barely turned it off since. It packs ten bone crunching jams into 35 intense minutes of absolute fire. From it’s opening track “Telepathic Nightmare” to its closing number “Szex Witchery” this record never lets you come up for air. As I look over the track list now, I find it difficult to find a song I don’t have something to say about. I find “More Torment” to be the most compelling track on the album, perhaps for its lower tempo and almost pleading tone in the wailing chorus. There’s the absolutely ripping “Let There Be Sodomy.” This one grabbed me on the first listen and it will undoubtedly kill (possibly literally) at a live show. I am torn to choose a favorite track, but if I had to, it would have to be a split decision. There’s “Devil Virgin” which opens with this incredible guitar part then breaks into driving riff, that just makes me want roll the windows down and put the gas pedal to the floorboards. It is 100% Rock N’ Roll in its purest undulations. Pulse pounding meter, conjuring their listener’s darkest desires by screaming “Come forth, come forth, give yourself to sin.” After the fans sink into this track, I feel like it would be a good idea for MIDNIGHT to invest in a line of officially licensed onesies; something tells me there is going to be a market this coming winter. Tied for my best track on the album is “Villainy Wretched Villainy.” This song has rhythm that pumps as hard as Judas Priest, and even rocks a killer tandem guitar solo, in the Priest style. (For the record, I hope it was meant as a deliberate homage.) This song packs a chorus that is nothing short of huge. Simple, but highly effective, just the song title repeated over and over in time with bowel clenching chords. But, damn, what a chorus! I want to see this song live so bad, I can’t even express it in words. It’s the sort of thing I tend to scream myself hoarse over. On the final pass it climaxes with accented riffage that makes the song end on a phenomenally strong and emotional note.
So there you have it. I believe I am too new to this band to be any more in depth than I have, but if I haven’t convinced you to check out MIDNIGHT by now, I doubt knowing their entire catalogue front to back would make much of a difference. I heard the first one, and the last, and I loved them both. “Let There Be Witchery” has all of the aggression and speed of “Satanic Royalty,” with a more polished sound and perhaps more developed song writing, though it is hard to say. As far as my opinion goes, if you know “Satanic Royalty” and you like it, I’d be surprised if you didn’t love “Let There Be Witchery.” If you are like me, and MIDNIGHT is not a band you’ve gotten into before this point, look back to those legends I referenced earlier. If you’re a fan of any of them, check out MIDNIGHT and their incredible new album “Let There Be Witchery.” I will be picking up the remainder of their catalogue as fast as financially feasible. Support Cleveland’s Metal Scene!
(MIDNIGHT- “Let There Be Witchery”: A must own album for Punks and Metalheads alike. I don’t know much about this band, but I know kick ass Rock N’ Roll when I hear it. 9/10)
-Z.M. Delgado 4/10/22
Midnight-ohio.bandcamp.com/merch
