Review by Bob Ignizio
For Cleveland band Midnight’s main-man Athenor, heavy metal
is a part of him. It flows in his veins. Long before people started throwing
around terms like “New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal”, Athenor (aka Jamie
Walters) was playing this kind of stuff in bands like Boulder, Destructor, and
Abudullah. Only now, with the power of Metal Blade Records backing him up, he
can finally bring his brand of filth-flavored thrash to a wider audience on his
latest release, REBIRTH BY BLASPHEMY.
While Midnight’s sound most obviously recalls proto black
metal bands like Venom and early Bathory, influences from classic metal artists
like Judas Priest, Motorhead, and Iron Maiden ensure there’s a catchiness and accessibility
here that can appeal to a somewhat wider audience. Not that you should expect
to hear Midnight on mainstream radio anytime soon, especially given Athenor’s
penchant for lyrical sleaze.
