Midnight
Satanic Royalty
Hells Headbangers

After almost ten years of releasing only splits and EPs — and not really wanting to become a real band at all –  Cleveland’s cult metal band Midnight have finally succumbed to a full-length job, and it’s the genuine article, man. Led by Athenar, the same freak responsible for the brew-fueled madness that was Boulder, Midnight don executioner hoods, worship flame and steel, and rip through ten songs (eleven if you have the vinyl) of black metal thrash so absurdly good you’ll be reawakening neck muscles that have been retired since the early 80s. It’s clear that Midnight’s mission is annihilation, which they deliver to you, like a shitty 2 AM pizza, in thirty minutes or less, and despite the fact that Satanic Royalty is dripping with Venom inspired evil violence, its really powered by a degenerate biker rawk Athenar has no doubt borrowed from his Boulder days. Thus, every song, especially “You Can’t Stop Steel,” “Lust, Filth and Sleaze,” and “Shock ’til Blood,” sound like Cronos leading Motörhead on a black-winged ride outta hell and straight up your ass. Anyone who has stuck by Midnight over the years waiting for this day to come can go ahead and raise their gauntlets high. As for the uninitiated, prepare to be outright dominated by pure metal riff-itude.

Listen to “Lust, Filth and Sleaze” from Satanic Royalty!

High Watt Crucifixers
High Watt Crucifixers
Self-Released

Texas neck breakers, the High Watt Crucifixers, take the nut up or shut up approach to layin’ down road burnin’ sleaze rock songs, which means their self-titled debut sounds like something you’d want blastin’ away while you’re getting your cock tattooed in a truck stop restroom by a lot lizard with a loose moose knuckle. It’s a greasy good time, is what I’m really getting at here, and like all ragged riff merchants, their degenerate roots can be traced all the way back to AC/DC, but they throw in enough speed, fuzz, and punk to call to mind bands like Zeke, The Divine Brown, and the Riverboat Gamblers. Now, High Watt aren’t selling me anything I don’t already own with songs like “Easy Action,” “You Want It,” “Sell Your Soul,” or “Rock N Roll Salvation,” but I’ve yet to hear a sleazy scorcher in all my bearded years with one of those familiar titles that’s even come close to letting me down. Same goes here as each one of ‘em feeds my demon and blasts me with a heavy dose of hot evil action, like I’m French kissing a blow torch. And that, brothers and sisters, is totally bad-ass.

Listen to “Easy Action” from High Watt Crucifixers!