What’s up, guys? We’re picking up a little as far as releases go, although Jan/Feb usually don’t have much to offer, but I don’t give a peck… I’ve got to keep the legions informed!
Midnight are releasing Rebirth by Blasphemy, their first for Metal Blade. So, if you HAVEN’T heard of Midnight, or HEARD Midnight for that matter, get your head out of your cloaca… Midnight play a brad of early black metal/speed metal that really suits them. Always hooky, and fun, Midnight have never disappointed. Well… they STILL don’t. One would think the jump from an indie to a much bigger label may have rendered Midnight with slightly less teeth, but this is a Midnight record folks, through and through. Raspy vocals, crusty ass riffs and like ‘gloomy’ metal topics abound here, all with a healthy dose of NWOBHM thrown in makes for a well-rounded record. There is a good balance here, of speed and more mid-tempo stuff which keeps this pretty interesting, or more listenable. The production, while a little slicker is still appropriate for the genre, albeit a little all over the place. Again, there’s nothing shocking here, nothing out of sorts and that’s just the way it should be… Midnight. 8 Fucking Pecks.
Whoa, what’s up, Gimli? (I know he’s a dwarf so stfu). With Game of Thrones being so popular, the one the ONLY Mortiis is back with Spirit of Rebellion, a re-recording/reinterpretation of his 1995 Ånden som gjorde opprør album featuring two tracks that clock in at around 25 minutes a piece. It’s a return to his “Era 1” phase and THAT, my friends, is DUNGEON SYNTH. Calling this metal is a stretch, as it’s more ambient, but it moves. This is a multi-layered affair that actually is cool. Keyboards, tribal drums, uh, flutes and stuff like that abound, but what’s really interesting here is the nuances that pop up with multiple listens. While this isn’t for everyone, it certainly is not Legend of Zelda music and I can see a lot of “traditional” metal heads digging this. Think KINDA Viking style music, but KINDA not… I mean, if you don’t know who Mortiis is, then shame on you. This is a great return to form for him and while it’s certainly not “rocking,” it’s a solid record. Strap on your elf ears, grab you 20-sided dice and nerd out to this! Here’s a snippet (below), but it’s hard to get the full effect due to the length of the tracks. Just peck it out, will ya? 7 Fucking Pecks.
Alright, foos… until next time. Waldo OUT!
