Review by Michael on February 13, 2021.

Actually, I'm not a big fan of songs longer than 5 or 6 minutes, but this EP called Cosmophobos by Brazilians Pralaya has something going for it, even though the three songs last between 8:30 and 14:30 minutes. The opener 'Agios o Baphomet' starts with a cool intro from the movie "The Devil Rides Out" and already provides nostalgic feelings for the listener. After that the band starts with classic black metal, which is mixed with thrash elements in parts. There is mainly European black metal bands here but also the tribute to usual suspects from South America. Vocals are alternated between black metal and clear vocals, which brings additional variety to the songs. The first song impresses with many breaks and tempo changes and a short acoustic part, which always drive the piece forward and do not let boredom arise.

'Cosmophobos' is characterized in the first minutes by a basic riff that keeps recurring. It is a with-tempo song that knows how to please with hateful vocals and catchy passages. However, the instrumentation is a bit wonky in parts, but that fits well with the old-school charm. Towards the end, the song picks up speed and knows how to grab the lover of the old-school BM school.

The last track 'Anagnorisis (Descensus ad Inferos Gnosis)' is the longest track of the EP with a playing time of 14:37. It starts with a somewhat disturbing whirring soundscape, which quickly turns into a catchy riff. The anthemic vocals fit into the chaotic sound picture and the drums seem a bit chaotic, also. But quickly the spook is over and the track runs in more orderly ways again, with the drummer definitely setting a pretty brisk pace. The vocals are again in two voices, shrieks and a demonic voice, which partly overlap. The Celtic Frost ‘ugh’ is also interspersed. But also in this track the band again shows their multifaceted skills by frequently changing the tempo and alternating thrashing with many catchy parts. Only the slightly hectic screamed vocals seem a bit out of place.

The production is unfortunately a bit unclean, the sound in places is very reverberant and the drums sometimes too tinny. But I think that this is quite negligible if you like old school black metal that does not come across artificial.

I would recommend those who like orthodox European black metal paired with South American influences à la Sarcofago, Vulcano or very old Sepultura to at least risk an ear!!!!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Michael on February 13, 2021.

Actually, I'm not a big fan of songs longer than 5 or 6 minutes, but this EP called Cosmophobos by Brazilians Pralaya has something going for it, even though the three songs last between 8:30 and 14:30 minutes. The opener 'Agios o Baphomet' starts with a cool intro from the movie "The Devil Rides Out" and already provides nostalgic feelings for the listener. After that the band starts with classic black metal, which is mixed with thrash elements in parts. There is mainly European black metal bands here but also the tribute to usual suspects from South America. Vocals are alternated between black metal and clear vocals, which brings additional variety to the songs. The first song impresses with many breaks and tempo changes and a short acoustic part, which always drive the piece forward and do not let boredom arise.

'Cosmophobos' is characterized in the first minutes by a basic riff that keeps recurring. It is a with-tempo song that knows how to please with hateful vocals and catchy passages. However, the instrumentation is a bit wonky in parts, but that fits well with the old-school charm. Towards the end, the song picks up speed and knows how to grab the lover of the old-school BM school.

The last track 'Anagnorisis (Descensus ad Inferos Gnosis)' is the longest track of the EP with a playing time of 14:37. It starts with a somewhat disturbing whirring soundscape, which quickly turns into a catchy riff. The anthemic vocals fit into the chaotic sound picture and the drums seem a bit chaotic, also. But quickly the spook is over and the track runs in more orderly ways again, with the drummer definitely setting a pretty brisk pace. The vocals are again in two voices, shrieks and a demonic voice, which partly overlap. The Celtic Frost ‘ugh’ is also interspersed. But also in this track the band again shows their multifaceted skills by frequently changing the tempo and alternating thrashing with many catchy parts. Only the slightly hectic screamed vocals seem a bit out of place.

The production is unfortunately a bit unclean, the sound in places is very reverberant and the drums sometimes too tinny. But I think that this is quite negligible if you like old school black metal that does not come across artificial.

I would recommend those who like orthodox European black metal paired with South American influences à la Sarcofago, Vulcano or very old Sepultura to at least risk an ear!!!!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Michael on February 13, 2021.

Actually, I'm not a big fan of songs longer than 5 or 6 minutes, but this EP called Cosmophobos by Brazilians Pralaya has something going for it, even though the three songs last between 8:30 and 14:30 minutes. The opener 'Agios o Baphomet' starts with a cool intro from the movie "The Devil Rides Out" and already provides nostalgic feelings for the listener. After that the band starts with classic black metal, which is mixed with thrash elements in parts. There is mainly European black metal bands here but also the tribute to usual suspects from South America. Vocals are alternated between black metal and clear vocals, which brings additional variety to the songs. The first song impresses with many breaks and tempo changes and a short acoustic part, which always drive the piece forward and do not let boredom arise.

'Cosmophobos' is characterized in the first minutes by a basic riff that keeps recurring. It is a with-tempo song that knows how to please with hateful vocals and catchy passages. However, the instrumentation is a bit wonky in parts, but that fits well with the old-school charm. Towards the end, the song picks up speed and knows how to grab the lover of the old-school BM school.

The last track 'Anagnorisis (Descensus ad Inferos Gnosis)' is the longest track of the EP with a playing time of 14:37. It starts with a somewhat disturbing whirring soundscape, which quickly turns into a catchy riff. The anthemic vocals fit into the chaotic sound picture and the drums seem a bit chaotic, also. But quickly the spook is over and the track runs in more orderly ways again, with the drummer definitely setting a pretty brisk pace. The vocals are again in two voices, shrieks and a demonic voice, which partly overlap. The Celtic Frost ‘ugh’ is also interspersed. But also in this track the band again shows their multifaceted skills by frequently changing the tempo and alternating thrashing with many catchy parts. Only the slightly hectic screamed vocals seem a bit out of place.

The production is unfortunately a bit unclean, the sound in places is very reverberant and the drums sometimes too tinny. But I think that this is quite negligible if you like old school black metal that does not come across artificial.

I would recommend those who like orthodox European black metal paired with South American influences à la Sarcofago, Vulcano or very old Sepultura to at least risk an ear!!!!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Jack on November 15, 2001.

Overdone is Midnight Sun's biggest fault. They suffer heavily from being overly metal. Five of the ten songs contain the word 'metal' or 'steel' ('Metal Gods', 'Dungeons of Steel', 'Steel to Steel', 'Metal Machine' and 'Metal Will Stand Tall'). Midnight Sun try so hard to be metal warriors and with "Metal Machine" as their flagship, they ultimately fall a tad short of the mark.

"Metal Machine" is in no way a bad album, and there is some great material that Midnight Sun write on "Metal Machine". The title track 'Metal Machine' contains a great chorus and some imaginative guitar work. And there a few nice ballads like tracks scattered throughout "Metal Machine". The opener; 'Metal Gods' kicks off with a killer opening that is heavily drum based and contains some great pounding of the skins.

The real problem with "Metal Machine" is that it is pretty bland. You are not going to find any tunes on here that you won't be able find by any other similar power metal bands starting with 'M'. That is a big problem for Midnight Sun. Why would someone wish to buy their material, when they can find a very similar artist with very similar material. It is a shame that Midnight Sun are just one of hundreds of similar power metal bands, but that's the reality and I can't really find anything overly unique within their 'cheesy' brand of metal to give a glowing recommendation. But by no mean is "Metal Machine" a bad album, however it's just another little fish in a big wide ocean of similar fish.

Bottom Line: Ultimately Midnight Sun are a good power metal band, who suffer from playing a generic brand of metal. There are far too many power metal bands out there, some better than Midnight Sun and some not. This factor alone makes it difficult to recommend "Metal Machine".

Rating: 6 out of 10