On May 3rd last month MIDNIGHT BULLET released their third studio album, “Into the Fire”. The band has been around since 2009, and all band members have at least 15 years of musical experience under their belt. Their personal sound can be described as a blend between punk rock, heavy metal, and groove metal. This mishmash of genres makes for a dynamic and entertaining listen.
In the band’s own words, the songs on this album tell stories about a blackness that can be found in all of us at some point, darker states of mind like depression, anxiety, insecurity, etc. Metal music has always been a great outlet for feelings sometimes difficult to put into words, and MIDNIGHT BULLET does try to live up to this standard lyrically, even though I sometimes felt like the rather catchy melodies distracted me from the song’s actual message.
The tight, powerful riffs from opening track “Ain’t Dead Yet” kick off the album’s promising start, leaving the listener wanting more. Title track “Into the Fire“ definitely lives up to those expectations with its memorable chorus and tempo that is right on point. Other solid favourites of mine are “One Man War” and “Break Me First”. What really gets my head banging is guitarist Lauri Ikonen showing off his superb skills with some sweet guitar solos. In my opinion, the tracks on this album will probably sound even better live on stage, since the well experienced band members will have plenty of opportunity to shine musically.
They may remind me of bands like MOTÖRHEAD and METALLICA, but MIDNIGHT BULLET does manage to pull off a unique sound on this record. This is one of those records I will put on in the car and gladly sing along to. There is always room to grow, and I feel like the band can still broaden their musical horizon if they would be open to experiment more with different styles of vocals. All in all a satisfying release, MIDNIGHT BULLET keeps me curious to hear what they will have in store for us next time.
TRACK LIST
- Ain’t Dead Yet
- Into the Fire
- Rise
- Over the Edge
- One Man War
- Second Chances
- No Turning Back
- Break Me First
- Quiet Whisper
- Morning Star
- One by One
- Leavings
LINEUP
Tuomas Lahti – vocals, rhythm guitar
Mikko Nokelainen – drums
Lauri Ikonen – lead guitar
Mirko Miettinen – bass
RECORD LABEL
Inverse Records
LINKS
Https://www.facebook.com/MidnightBullet
