The ever-belligerent Cleveland-based one-man unit Midnight returns with a prolific sixth full-length entitled Hellish Expectations, out via Metal Blade Records.
Consisting of only Athenar, Midnight has been consistently creating a sleazy combination of soundscapes incorporating Speed Metal, Black Metal, and Punk elements for over twenty years.
On Hellish Expectations, Midnight managed to deliver the purest form of sonic assault that is inclined to blackened heavy metal tendencies packed in ten solid tracks, almost like a background soundtrack suitable for a gang fight scene, or a Mortal Kombat-style street fight scene.
To me, this album is just like the FN FAL battle rifle in a sonic form– gnarly and always ready for combat. Before Hellish Expectations was out, Midnight had already released the first single off it, entitled “F.O.A.L” (a.k.a “Fuck Off And Live”) alongside a music video as well – directed by David Brodsky of My Good Eye Visuals.
Quoted from Athenar himself, the song “Fuck Off And Live” is “an ode to the people who peacefully want to die to escape the realities of life, while they should really live and suffer”.
Aside from the nihilistic approach that Midnight presents on the lyrical themes of this album, this one-man cult is also consistent in envisaging a recurring branding that involves imagery of lust, grime, and sleaze – in line with the sleazy yet catchy tunes that Midnight presents.
What’s best about this album is that it’s bound to be unapologetically nefarious and it stays true to Midnight’s initial, consistent branding: showing no pretense to the masses.
The vocals are hauntingly aggressive – accompanied by distortion-laden guitars and drum beats that, I can sense, are somehow d-beat-inspired, especially on the tracks “Expect Total Hell” and “Nuclear Savior”.
While there are several tracks with slower pace such as “Dungeon Lust” with its doomy elements and guttural vocals, the album remains consistently raw and heavy until the end.
On the track “Deliver Us To Devil”, you may encounter some thrashing layered riffs.
Hellish Expectations is generally an album that is inherently made to start fights – or to become a background soundtrack of a fight scene. It shows raw unapologetic honesty in an approach that is belligerent, with a touch of sleaze. With relentless vocals alongside the accompaniment of distorted riffs and d-beat-influenced drummings, Midnight is ready to take over the world and fight the banalities of life.
Buy the album here:
https://www.metalblade.com/midnight/
8 / 10
RALKA SKJERSETH