Groovy New Jersey Thrash meets German Heavy Metal: MIDNITE HELLION on Tour with legendary Metal Machine U.D.O.

Groovy New Jersey Thrash meets German Heavy Metal:
MIDNITE HELLION on Tour with legendary Metal Machine U.D.O.

After a nationwide US tour with Anvil in 2022/2023, New Jersey thrash rockers MIDNITE HELLION are finally back on the road: This time, they’ll be supporting the iconic U.D.O. along with brilliant vocalist Udo Dirkschneider on their North American Tour (SEP 6 – OCT 20, 2024) – so get ready for some top tier metal madness! The two bands will perform together until OCT 10, before MIDNITE HELLION continue rocking their own run until the end of October. And the powerful threesome is more than ready to keep their promise and deliver some must see live shows, true to their motto: “Live, raw, bang thy head ‘til it’s sore!”

MIDNITE HELLION offer a wild mix of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Heavy Metal, Blues, Thrash Metal, and 70s & 80s Pop Music, inspired by bands like KISS, Overkill, Michael Schenker Group, Judas Priest and Don McLean. It’s all of these influences that mold their sound and make them into a band unlike any other newer act, unable to be pigeon-holed to any specific sub-genre. And the band’s aspirations for the upcoming tour are clear: “We want the listener to free their mind and have a great time. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff, and we’re here as an escape from the doldrums not as a reminder of it.  Life is for living, so crank it up loud ‘n’ proud!”

MIDNITE HELLION’s successful album Kingdom Immortal was released on the US market in 2022 (where it immediately entered the Metal Contraband and NACC Radio charts) before it was also introduced to Europe in early 2024, making it their first world-wide release. The album is available on CD, MC, and LP and the band couldn’t be happier: “We’re pleased to be able to bring to you, the European faithful fans of all things Heavy, the chance to own an album we’re very proud of. In this day and age, import fees are at an all-time high. With our new worldwide distribution, we have cut that out so you can now obtain our newest release at a nice price.”

Kingdom Immortal was recorded in a diabolically effective six-day-studio-power-working-session with producer Alex Perialas (Anthrax/S.O.D., Overkill, Testament, Joe Bonamassa), for whom the band has a lot of praise: “One reason we decided to work with Alex Perialas is due to his unique ability to capture lightning in a bottle. As many know, Alex recorded the legendary Speak English Or Die album by S.O.D in two days and mixed it in one day while Anthrax was in the studio recording Spreading The Disease. Going back to basics, not only did we want to have spontaneity on record, but also make an album with real instruments captured with vintage microphones on a physical console and outboard gear, with no artificial samples or computerized plug-ins.” To save time while in the studio, they chose to record to Pro-Tools instead of recording to tape, which also saved time with digitizing for CD mastering. “With the exception of studio amps and guitars that were also used on Alex’s previous projects, every instrument on Kingdom Immortal is what we use live.  I know it’s not exactly ‘en-vogue’ nowadays to have a record released without modern production elements.  All I have to say is Led Zeppelin’s IV still sounds incredible 53 years later…”.

Have you checked out MIDNITE HELLION’s banger album yet?
Enter Kingdom Immortal HERE:
https://orcd.co/kingdomimmortal

Tracklist Kingdom Immortal:

1. H.M.O
2. She-Demon
3. Phantomland
4. Rapscallion
5. Speed Demon
6. Resurrected
7. Army Of The Dead
8. In Sickness And In Hell

When entering Kingdom Immortal, the third track that greets you is Phantomland. The song brings you on a journey to a far away land not fit for man nor beast, so beware of what lurks in the shadows. Musically inspired by Tom Petty’s Refugee and thematically inspired by the original Nosferatu, Phantomland brings you to the land of the undead, where fight or flight is the only chance of survival.

As MIDNITE HELLION’s dexterous drummer Drew Rizzo points out: “Phantomland is a five minute euphony of chaos, adventure, and insanity. Join us or perish!”

Bearing the fruits of Drew’s effort and creativity, filming, editing, and storyboarding, Phantomland is the band’s first single accompanied by a (DIY!) music video.

Have you watched the single video yet?
Take a detour through Phantomland :

For those who have seen MIDNITE HELLION live in the past few years, touring for Kingdom Immortal has had a different guitarist for each leg so far. Charles Koegler recorded the guitars on the album, and did a stellar job performing live in 2022 when MIDNITE HELLION first toured with Anvil. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue touring, so he stepped down. “In his place, our Canadian friend Jeff Wilson came through for us for our second leg with Anvil in 2023, and funny enough, we had more Canadians on the tour package than we did Americans!”, says the band. While Jeff may join the band again down the road, his schedule is currently booked solid as a touring guitarist for Lutharo. “We wish to thank both Charles and Jeff for their tremendous contributions to Midnite Hellion’s live events!”, the guys address thankfully. Now, the band members are pleased to welcome from the great state of West Virginia, Matt O’Donnell to handle the guitar-slinging duties for them on their upcoming tour with U.D.O. and beyond! Matt is now a resident of the Garden State and is primed to join MIDNITE HELLION in showing everyone what New Jersey Heavy Metal Rock ‘n’ Roll is all about!