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Aug 12, 2015 Midnight By Frank Valish

In 1978 a little-known four-piece band from the suburbs of Chicago self-released a record with little promotion and less fanfare. It was the only record the band would release, before they broke up three short years later. Midnight is that band, and its only record, Into the Night, reissued here, is a garage rock/metal powerhouse. The album begins with two tracks, “Train of Thought” and “Into the Pit,” that remind the listener of Black Sabbath with blistering heavy guitar riffs, which, in the case of the latter, is augmented by a fiery guitar solo. “Crazy Little Mama” switches gears, finding a balance somewhere between The Doors and synth-led ‘70s psych. “Smoke My Cigarettes” begins with a sludgy blues riff and segues into an upbeat synth jam. And “Time Will Tell” is nearly a power ballad. Comparisons to Iron Butterfly and Vanilla Fudge are particularly apt. Lyrically, things don’t veer far from stoned teenager fare, but this is part of Midnight’s charm. The reissue is presented without liner notes or biographical information, which retains the mystery of Midnight’s origins and its early demise. But the music on Into the Night shows so much potential that one wishes the boys had kept it up for at least a couple more albums. Musically, Into the Night can be a bit scattershot; one can hear that Midnight had yet to develop a signature style. But man, they rocked hard finding their way. (www.dragcity.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10