Review by Daniel for Midnight - Let There Be Witchery (2022)

The reputation of Cleveland-based solo artist Midnight certainly precedes him. He’s developed somewhat of a cult following in underground metal circles over the years with a level of mystery surrounding him at all times. A part of his appeal certainly lies within his attachment of a Satanic image to a more accessible speed/heavy metal sound but if anything that idea has probably seen me shying away from his releases to be honest. Now I find myself presented with the challenge of reviewing his latest opus in the brand new “Let There Be Witchery” album though & I have to say that I feel up to the task.

I can’t say that I was all that surprised by what I heard upon first listen to tell you the truth because the Venom & Motörhead comparisons are right on the money from a stylistic point of view. There’s a truckload of punk & hard rock about Midnight’s sound & (as with Motörhead) much of this material teeters on the edge of not being metal at all if you wanna get technical about it. I mean the guitar solos are bluesy as fuck & the strummy open-string chords that make up many of the songs don’t have much of a relation to Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden but there’s something about the atmosphere that Midnight creates that ties it all back to our beloved metal with Athenar’s gruff vocals almost commanding it in a similar way to Cronos’ or Lemmy’s. They’re not blackened by any means but they do seem to come from the same sort of heritage, only in a third generation capacity if you know what I mean.

The appeal in Midnight’s sound really comes in the song-writing & execution though with all of these songs possessing plenty of space & some very solid hooks that dig their teeth in nicely without requiring too much effort. The song-structures are very simple & traditional which gives them a level of familiarity but the bright, crystal clear production job sees them growing another limb. “WTF!?” I hear you say? “That’s hardly in line with Venom or Motorhead’s model now, is it?” Damn right it’s not but it really seems to work for Midnight here & I struggle not tap my foot along to track after track of this infectiously fun little speed/heavy metal record.

Midnight may not sit anywhere near my musical comfort zone but perhaps that’s part of their appeal because they do make for a very enjoyable holiday from the seriousness of modern metal. There’s a freshness to their sound that sees them carving out their own niche even though they certainly harness the bands I’ve already mentioned & this sees Midnight commanding a positive response from an audience that will do very well not to comply.

For fans of Motörhead, Speedwolf & Venom.