Hey kids! Do you like Rock ‘n Roll? Black Metal? What about dungeons, hell, and half naked women? Yeah, me too! Welcome to the latest Midnight album!

First couple of times I’ve spun “Hellish Expectations”, I was kind of surprised that it ended after a mere 25 minutes, yet still held the title of full length. I don’t know, but I also don’t care that much, since the delivered goods are as you’d expect of a menace such as Midnight to deliver.
It is fitting then, that the first song here is the harbinger of the destruction that would come and is called “Expect Total Hell”. In a very Midnight-esque way, the sharp guitars are cutting their way through ones’ skin and the chorus would already take care of the rest, topped with a blood-dripping solo.

The best way to describe Midnight’s musical path, if some of you aren’t familiar with their music; would be somewhere along the lines of Motorhead, Venom and Mercyful Fate all had an orgy and a coked-up antichrist was somehow born.
And so, for the duration of the album, every song here proves just that once more. “Masked and Deadly” and “Slave of the Blade” are both straight-forward, fast paced, old school tunes that are what makes this band so good. You can’t help but bang and raise hell.

There are only a handful of bands around the world that are successfully (in my opinion, which is totally unimportant) answering the definition of Black N Roll, and these Cleveland boys (well, Athenar) are pretty much the pinnacle of it. The music, the attitude, the looks, the going half mad during live performances and the consistency of every release being at least as aggressive and as groovy (yeah, I said it!) as the previous one. A combination that won Midnight a devout following over the years and solidified their position.

The album doesn’t deter from its previous direction too much, but changes his pacing from time to time and includes some twists and turns at certain moments, such as the case with “Nuclear Savior” or the slower, more melodic “Mercyless Slaughtor”.
It is even more apparent with the tune that closed off the album, “F.O.A.L.”, having the conclusion of the album shine in an even more melodic and memorable chorus.

All in all with “Hellish Expectations”, Midnight deliver what they always do, without compromise or thoughts about changing their style and it’s good the way it is. Something about re-inventing wheels, I’m not sure. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go spin this album again, my neck isn’t broken yet.

Label: Metal Blade Records
Release Date: March 2024

Rating: 8/10

Review by: Omer

Tracklist:

1. Expect Total Hell
2. Gash Scrape
3. Masked and Deadly
4. Slave to the Blade
5. Dungeon Lust
6. Nuclear Savior
7. Deliver Us to Devil
8. Mercyless Slaughtor
9. Doom Death Desire
10. O.A.L.