ALBUM REVIEW: Midnight Blitz – Tailgunner
TAILGUNNER have brought the past to the present and are proving themselves a bright light in the future of British heavy metal. Drawing on the classic, twin axe attack of the 1980’s, their debut album Guns For Hire was an instant hit and led to their current status as one of the country’s most exciting new bands; as you read this, they’ve just wrapped up a tour supporting HAMMERFALL with an incendiary performance at Planet Rock: Winter’s End and are gearing up to open for FOZZY across the UK, by which time their brand new album will be out: sophomore release Midnight Blitz is unleashed on Friday 6th via Napalm Records.
Legendary guitarist K.K. Downing said he’d been waiting for a band like TAILGUNNER since DEF LEPPARD, so no pressure on the young quintet for being an answer to a question over four decades in the making, but the musician has leant a hand in their development, coming on board to produce Midnight Blitz at their request. Given Downing‘s success when he turned to production duties during his time with JUDAS PRIEST, it’ll come as no surprise that he’s done a magnificent job, but naturally it’s the band themselves who must take the lion’s share of the plaudits; this is a corker of a record that supersedes its predecessor on every level and will elevate TAILGUNNER to far greater heights.
The title track is an excellent choice of opener, with its high-octane pace and infectious chorus setting up the rest of the album perfectly. Tears In Rain, the second of the three singles to be released prior to the full record has an air of BEAST IN BLACK about it, leaning on the side of trad metal that would eventually become power metal through the likes of IRON MAIDEN and HELLOWEEN. Talking of MAIDEN, in wholly unsurprising news their influence is all over this record, from the melodic leads and solos in Follow Me In Death to that classic gallop in the second half of Barren Lands And Seas Of Red, a track that begins with a chugging, bulldozing riff reminiscent of JUDAS PRIEST at their best.
Yet, for all their talents at writing pummelling songs that thunder along, TAILGUNNER have begun to branch out, even if they’re not straying all too far from the trunk and roots of their main sound. It comes in the form of War In Heaven, their first ballad – replete with keyboards, it brings the pace down significantly but is full of emotion; it’s also arguably vocalist Craig Cairns‘ standout performance on the whole album, which is no mean feat given his range is used fully on virtually every track. Midnight Blitz is also the first studio releases for guitarist Rhea Thompson and drummer Eddie Mariotti, both of whom have slotted seamlessly into the fold and perform their roles brilliantly.
When all is said and done, Midnight Blitz is heavy metal in its purest form, a record of full-throttle bangers to get the blood pumping and horns in the air. TAILGUNNER are an incredibly special outfit, hungry for more and taking no prisoners. If they are indeed the future of British heavy metal, it’s in very safe hands.
Rating: 8/10
Midnight Blitz is set for release on February 6th via Napalm Records.
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