Midnight

Rebirth By Blasphemy

Written by: RUB on 30/01/2020 13:53:28

The one-man-band Midnight is back after three years with its fourth studio album “Rebirth by Blasphemy”, and having only seen the fairly recognizable band logo prior to this album, I didn’t quite know what to expect from it. What we’re dealing with is the brainchild of sole member and creator Jamie ‘Athenar’ Walters, and the genre in question is a hybrid of black and speed metal, with plenty of obvious nods towards the grandfathers of the genre: Venom. Things move at a neck-breaking, mosh-friendly pace throughout the 30 minutes or so that the album lasts, and to honour that, I’ll keep my review short and precise as well.

This is indeed a very black ‘n’ roll-style take on a genre first branded by the British Venom, but it is also easy to spot influences from Motörhead and, for a more recent comparison, Toxic Holocaust. So basically — don’t expect anything new or ground-breaking; instead, expect well-written tracks throughout the album. With song names such as “Rising Scum”, “Devil’s Excrement”, and of course the awesome first track “Fucking Speed and Darkness”, the tone of the album is sure to be set even before you queue start listening to it. The speed metal-style, almost punk-ish rhythm will have your head banging from this very first track, of that I am certain. The tracks range from around two minutes in the shorter end to slightly longer ones that clock in at around four minutes. The harsh shrieks and shouts by Athenar mix well with the rock ‘n’ roll rhythms and infectious riffs, making the album fly by in no time. Every track more or less follows the same song structure, but that doesn’t really matter, given that the ten tracks keep the intensity and energy at high level throughout, with only a single, short breathing break provided by the slower fifth song, “Rising Scum”.

There is little doubt in my mind that it is tracks like the ones highlighted below that truly carry this album home safely. They may seem simplistic and sound very close to either Venom or Motörhead depending on which one we are talking about, but in my ears, Athenar has still managed to put his own little edge into the songs. As hailed by quite a few on the big interwebz, “Rebirth by Blasphemy” is supposed to be a modern classic already. However, I am not that convinced yet after several listens, though there is still plenty here to keep the listener entertained, and certainly enough to make me want to witness Midnight in a live setting. In conclusion thus — if either Venom or Motörhead is right up your alley, or you just like your music fast and straight in your face, I would definitely recommend checking out “Rebirth by Blasphemy”.

Download: Fucking Speed and Darkness, Raw Attack, Cursed Possessions, Rebirth by Blasphemy, Escape the Grave
For the fans of: Hellhammer, Motörhead, Toxic Holocaust, Venom, Wölfblood
Listen: Facebook

Release date 24.01.2020
Metal Blade Records

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