Midnight: Rebirth By Blasphemy
It’s almost 55 years since the inception of one of the loudest bands that changed the course of rock & roll and heavy metal forever. MOTÖRHEAD set the bar higher than any other band out there both on record and in a live environment, they didn’t listen to what they were told, they just did it. Their way of making music and having an attitude that screamed it was their way or the highway became infectious for other bands to follow suit, but one in recent years has really hit the nail on the head and have taken things to another level. MIDNIGHT have set their name in stone with their blackened/speed metal style and an almighty attitude that can’t be stopped.
Now MIDNIGHT have released their new album Rebirth By Blasphemy, and the brains of the project Athenar delves into just what that means. “Rebirth By Blasphemy is kind of accepting the reality of the situation of what’s happening and accepting things more rather than declining or ignoring things.” Whilst that applies to his personal life, by coincidence he was also offered a record deal with Metal Blade and also sees that as another rebirth, “The title was there before there was any mention of that [Metal Blade], the feeling was there, but it was just kind of coincidence that kind of proved to me that everything was kind of birthing at the time, then the Metal Blade deal happened, so again it was more proof of a rebirth.”
This rebirth however was never planned, just like everything else to do with MIDNIGHT. For Athenar, the idea is to just go with the flow and see what happens. This attitude of just doing what he wants with his music is exactly what has created the signature sound, and it’s the same process for this album as well. There’s not many musicians that will hold their hands up and say that they’re happy with the mistakes they hear in their work, but Athenar truly cares only for being able to get the rawest material out there. This means there’s no sitting for hours recording one riff, or sifting through 100 lyric ideas for one track, it is simply going to sit and record everything as it is, with only maybe a couple of tweaks. MIDNIGHT isn’t about refining a sound production-wise, or refining a sound so somebody can sit there and say the most current album is the top of its game, MIDNIGHT are about making sure the sound is authentic as possible. It’s about not giving a damn, and being an outlet for whatever is going on at that time.
“It’s a pretty simple sound, and a simple production, there’s never really a huge amount of time spent trying to get a certain hi-hat sound, it’ll either be good or bad. You can spend hours and hours trying to get that certain guitar tone, when you take away that time trying it breaks the mood of just getting down onto paper what you want. For me I’d rather much not worry about labouring over sounds, I’d rather a certain feel than a sound.”
Because of Athenar’s preference to the feeling in the music, live performances for fans of MIDNIGHT can be cathartic, and an experience to adopt the same rock & roll attitude. There’ll be a fight over in the corner, but the participants will be grinning at one another knowing it’s all in good fun. There’ll be a guy losing his mind because for him, it’s his night off from the office and he doesn’t have to conform or answer to anybody. There’ll be a guy up on stage who’ll be behind a mask, spitting each lyric out as though it’s venom, diving into the crowd to join in with everyone else’s chaos, setting fire to his guitar, but most importantly, still feeling that release. The authenticity of that raw emotion and power that goes into each song isn’t planned in any way, live shows aren’t taken into consideration, but somehow it all works out for every participating member.
“For me, playing concerts may not necessarily be enjoyable but it’s something that’s necessary to keep me healthy. It’s important that when you get whatever you need out,” Athenar mentions about playing live. “It’s not really fun, it’s like a primal scream of just getting everything out. It isn’t fun screaming your head off with a headache and a sore throat until your eyes are hurting, and your sinuses are all band up from screaming and yelling, it’s not a pleasurable experience.”
That’s why many people have fallen in love with MIDNIGHT. In a sea of music that is ever-expanding, they’re genuine. Regardless of if you’re getting just Athenar on record or a bunch of sweaty people gathered in a grotty venue, everything you get from the music is 100% real. The spirit of rock & roll is well and truly alive because of MIDNIGHT, and regardless of where the road may lead, conforming is no option. Putting a middle finger up to rules and regulations is the way forward, as Athenar has proven yet again with Rebirth By Blasphemy, there is no harm in not giving a care in the world.
Rebirth By Blasphemy is out now via Metal Blade Records.
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