Review by Tobias on August 10, 2002.

The rising brand of big-bearded, wild-eyed, rock-oriented metal, given such labels as ‘stoner metal’, is carving out a definitive niche for itself in the metal world and is embodied by the likes of Orange Goblin.

One crunching chord after another gets pounded out of the band’s fuzzed out amplifier of choice: Orange Amps. Listening to the incredibly catchy riffing and thickly toned guitar leads that Joe Hoare and Pete O’Malley chuck back and forth can only make the listener want to kick holes in walls with total uncompromising delight.

Torrential whiskey-raw vocals from towering frontman Ben Ward will make you want to be him. This guy is having so much fun that you can hear the grin in his voice, if not the gin. It’s this attitude that really seeps through every instrument in the band, and I’ll be goddamned if that isn’t what music is all about.

This band knows itself; it knows what it is and what it wants to be. The members’ contributions fit into each other like lock and key, which is sharply demonstrated by can-beater Chris Turner and the four-stringer Martyn Millard. Millard will on occasion through in a lick of his own, in the fashion of The Who’s ‘The Real Me’, but certainly Goblin’s own.

Amidst the bucket of evil fun that "Coup De Grace" is, the band tosses in one shining treat after another such as samples from 'Night of the Living Dead' or cases like ‘Made of Rats’ and ‘Jesus Beater’ which gives Ben some time to flash his teeth while former Kyuss vocalist John Garcia lends some of his talent to the microphone, adding even more depth to the album.

Additionally, the band threw in a cover of the Glen Danzig Misfit’s song, ‘We Bite’. Though the style strays slightly here, it gives the band a chance to honor their horror-punk roots.

As for a down-side, they are few and hard to find. A potential candidate would be the band’s strange song construction of 'Rage of Angels' which immediately makes you think of ‘Ballroom Blitz’... but it’s much funnier, and a hell of a lot more badass.

Bottom Line: This is dirty rockin’ metal that will find you drunk and laughing in a ditch the next morning, ready for another shot.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 7
Overall: 10

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on March 14, 2024.

In the ever-burning flame of black/thrash/speed metal, returns the triumphant cult warrior to spread blasphemy, hell and fire. The crowned jewel of Cleveland Ohio, none other than the band Midnight, has certainly been successfully poisoning the youth with hellish rock ‘n roll for the past couple of decades, and in fact, he comes back with a very strong and clear statement that says “FUCK OFF AND LIVE!”. The release of the band’s sixth full-length album Hellish Expectations on March 8th, 2024 marks the return of Athenar in his reaper hoodie, leather jacket and bullet belt clad adventure that cuts like a hot knife through butter. Have these Hellish Expectations truly turned out to be “hellish” as expected? Fasten your seatbelts, it’s time to kick some ass! 

Without warning and without hesitation, all hell breaks loose from the very get-go as the d-beat and devilish rock ‘n roll driven energy bursts out the wall with fucking speed and darkness. Midnight strikes hard from the very start as the first couple of tracks already show that this means business and that business is good, especially with the badass and hellfire fueled bangers like the third and fourth track, with such simple titles that speak out loud that Athenar’s game is indeed 'Masked And Deadly' and that you are nothing but a 'Slave Of The Blade'. In case you were expecting to get a love song for the International Women’s Day, don’t worry about it because you got it pal! The fifth track 'Dungeon Lust' is exactly what your sweet loving lady has been craving for all day, which will be rewarded with one strong whip strike that will leave you moaning like a bitch. If you thought that Midnight can’t make a slow song sound heavy and loud, then I am sorry to disappoint you because the mid-tempo banger 'Merciless Slaughtor' is here to prove every single one of you non-believers wrong and it serves you right. The last two tracks 'Doom Death Desire' and the pre-released single 'F.O.A.L' are also worthy to get some praise for being two excellent tracks, as well as being great album finishers that leave the listener with one big happy ending. 

The simple but solid songwriting of Athenar on this album has proven to be incredibly effective from start to finish, providing tons of enjoyable moments with a lot of punk rock, heavy metal, rock and roll, black and speed metal that mercilessly sets the stage on fire. All of the songs shine with consistent energy and aggression that wastes no time for any fancy tricks or antics that bands waste their time and effort to please the audience, because Midnight keeps things straight to the point with every song banging left and right. Despite the album being just over 25 minutes long, it is simply impossible not to get immersed into it because there is just way too many fun and enjoyable stuff here that can’t go unnoticed and ignored, especially if you are a one hellish rock and roll soldier that the devil himself enlisted with every right in his army. A perfect example that always visually captures that essence of the music is the album cover done by William Lacey, who has proved countless times before that his blasphemous art will always stick with the music of Midnight, like on the previous five albums. On the final note, the sound production of Hellish Expectations is very strong and perfectly balanced, with an added distortion to the shouting vocals of Athenar that never let you down. 

Once again, Midnight has triumphed and fulfilled everything that we’ve come to expect from the beast that is Hellish Expectations. Straight to the point, blasphemous, fucking speed and darkness, all the way through! There is nothing more that I can say other than the fact that Hellish Expectations is yet another worthy entry in the band’s discography. 

Rating: 8.7 out of 10