Midnight ‘Rebirth By Blasphemy’
Album Review By Adam McCann
Metal Blade Records/Black/Speed Metal
For a band which only ever intended to release singles, EP’s and splits, Midnight have delivered three albums of exceptional heavy metal that rattles the bones down to the core with speed metal and touches of black metal. These albums have all been delivered within 8 years, showing a band working exceptionally hard and this year has Midnight not only signing to Metal Blade Records, but also delivering their 4th studio album ‘Rebirth by Blasphemy’.
‘Rebirth By Blasphemy’ picks up exactly where ‘Sweet Death and Ecstasy’ left off, this is an album which manifests that raw heavy metal power, which is actually very appealing. ‘Rebirth…’ is a relentless onslaught of powerful, guttural, driving metal that has all the appeal of Venom, Evil Invaders and Gehennah, but also something a little darker such as Hellhammer, Nocturnal Breed and Bulldozer. With similarities like this, there is no surprise that there is a swagger about this album, it oozes an appeal of a time when heavy metal was dirtier, less sanitised and stinking of booze that can be seen in tracks such as ‘Devil’s Excrement’, ‘Rising Scum’, ‘You Can Drag Me Through Fire’ and the title track. Therefore, it is very difficult to listen to this album without feeling the rising need to crack a beer, chase it with whisky and drop a bomb of speed.
There are no surprises here with ‘Rebirth…’, but who actually cares? This album does what it says on the tin, it is meant to be enjoyed, not studied and deconstructed for metaphor and hidden messages. If anything, ‘Rebirth…’ is the best Venom album that you can hear all year, so sit back, crank it up and thoroughly enjoy it; it will not disappoint.
Rating : 85/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
