Midnight: No Mercy for Mayhem (2014)

Tons of bands are playing this style of metal.  I am referring to the kind of filthy blackened speed metal influenced by groups like Venom, Motörhead, early Sodom and early Bathory.  Groups like Toxic Holocaust have taken the lead with Witchtrap and others following suit.  Midnight has been playing this retro style since the band's inception as the side project of Boulder's Athenar since the early 2000's.

After almost a decade of producing just demos, EPs and splits, Midnight finally released its first full-length album in 2011.  This was followed up by this album three years later.  This album is filled with the kind of high-octane, whiskey-infused, down and dirty speed metal that Midnight has been cultivating for years.  The album is full of slimy, punk-infused riffs and Athenar's booze-fueled croaking vocals.  The lyrical content runs the gamut between sleazy and evil, and sometimes both.

The highlight of the album is the surprisingly melodic title cut.  It proves that Midnight is not a one-trick pony, and Athenar is just as capable of writing a slow-burning, melodic track as the fast-paced, grimy songs. 

Midnight was a perfect example of a Hells Headbangers band, combining punk with dirty speed metal.  With their recent move to Metal Blade Records, the band appears poised to attract a larger following.  It will be interesting to see the results of that move.  As long as Midnight continues releasing albums like this, it could result in  pushing Toxic Holocaust for the top of the heap of this kind of metal.