ALBUM REVIEW: Midnight Ghost – Brainstorm

In a career spanning almost three decades, German power metal group BRAINSTORM are back with their twelfth studio album, Midnight Ghost. The band have once again teamed up with AFM Records for the release of the new record.

Midnight Ghost opens with Devil’s Eye, which begins at an electric pace. There’s a brief intro from the drums of Dieter Bernert, before the song kicks straight in, pulling no punches and delivering a flurry of crushing riffs. It doesn’t take too long for the vocals of Andy B. Franck to be introduced, whose raw power really carries the song forward through the first verse and up to the chorus, where the pace slows down a touch and goes into a more traditional melodic sound. There’s so much energy soaring through the entire track, and for anyone who has never listened to the band before, you know this is a power metal record, and it’s executed very well. After the explosive opening song, the outro flows into the following track, Revealing The Darkness, which slows right down to a keyboard instrumental before the rest of the band follow not long after with the heavy metal aspects. While the first track was very energetic, this one is more rhythmic and not quite as heavy, but it’s still one you can bang your head to at home or on your travels.

There are ten tracks on this record, and it is very difficult to pick out other tracks which stand out, as the quality of each one is sublime, and each one has its own unique elements. One of the heavier tracks which really stands out is Divine Inner Ghost, which starts straight away with more crushing riffs from the very first second, and there’s a lot more emphasis on the guitar in particular, and again it works very well. On the whole, as mentioned before, each song that features on this album is very well constructed in the way they all flow, how all the sounds come well together and more importantly keeps you listening all the way through with the same keen interest as the opening few seconds.

It’s no surprise really when you consider BRAINSTORM formed all the way back in 1989, and have time and time again produced high quality albums – and with the amount of time they have spent together, even when new members have come in, the sound has remained consistent and anyone who really knows the band or the power metal genre will be able to identify them from the sound alone. When you put all the tracks together you’ve got an exceptional record with Midnight Ghost, and certainly one of the highlights of the year in the power metal genre – arguably a contender for the top 20 album list for 2018, and well worth a listen for anyone who loves their power metal or wants to delve deeper into the vaults.

Rating: 9/10

Midnight Ghost is out now via AFM Records. 

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