Midnight Chaser – Lion’s Choice

After making a quick impact on the heavy metal scene by getting signed to Heavy Artillery Records, California’s Midnight Chaser has been a bit quieter lately. 2014 saw the independent release of their second full-length, “Lion’s Choice”, which is soon to be re-released on CD by Swords and Chains Records. There could not be a better partnership between band and label because Midnight Chaser represents everything the label is about: great songs and old-school heavy metal. “Lion’s Choice” is a stellar exercise in masterful, memorable songwriting that shows the influence of any number of classic metal bands from Iron Maiden to Saxon to Diamond Head, and even to bands grounded in hard rock like UFO or Scorpions (the former of which they cover on this record).

The best song on “Lion’s Choice” is the title track. Not only does this song rock out tremendously, but it also syncs up some of the guitar melodies with the vocals, making these sections doubly potent and catchy. This is the type of song that will be closing out their concerts for the next 3 decades – a true heavy metal classic. The next track, “Rollin’” only further speeds things up. Again, the quintessential heavy metal formula is present: charged-up riffs, energetic solos, and an enthusiastic singer makes for a convincing track. As with many of their contemporaries, Midnight Chaser’s guitarists absolutely abuse their fretboards all throughout the record. There is no shortage of guitar solos, and despite the somewhat rock and roll nature of this record (at least compared to the straight up speed metal of bands like Skull Fist), the solos are actually surprisingly virtuosic at times.

As alluded to earlier, this album has a number of tracks that lean more towards hard rock than metal. The first of these is “White Denim”, but “Juicer” also takes a similar approach. The band pulls off both this style and a heavier one seamlessly. The sounds really aren’t that far apart from one another, so it works effectively. It is for this reason, that the cover of Savage’s “Cry Wolf” sounds perfectly aligned with the rest of the record. As much as I hate to admit this, I’m not really familiar with any of Savage’s work, and if you hadn’t told me that this was a cover, there would be no way to know. On the other hand, the cover of UFO’s “Mother Mary” is a little more distinct, and probably the only moment on the record that feels a little out of place. This brings up the only real problem with this album: It doesn’t quite crack 35 minutes, yet it has two covers included in that runtime. Nevertheless, they’re well enough executed that it doesn’t matter too much. 

On the whole, “Lion’s Choice” is an impressive heavy metal release. Not only does it have a significant amount of passion and vigor in the music, but it also stands on its own from many other traditional heavy metal bands. Considering the basic formula is the same as a lot of other bands, this is an impressive achievement. There might be a lot of great talent in the traditional heavy metal scene these days, but Midnight Chaser can compete with any other band out there!

Be sure to check out and like Midnight Chaser on Facebook!

Highlights

"Lion's Choice"

"Rollin'"

"Cry Wolf"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott

Manic Scum – Acidic Remains

“Acidic Remains” is the newest EP from American death metal band Manic Scum, and was first released in mid-2014. The EP is currently seeing a CD release courtesy of the best extreme metal label around: Unspeakable Axe Records. Despite the release date of this EP, it rarely displays anything that could be considered modern. In fact, if you were completely unaware of any information about the band, you would think this came out between 1990-1992 alongside the classic formative records of bands like Cannibal Corpse and Deicide. Those two bands seem to provide the primary influence on “Acidic Remains”. The opening song for example, begins with a riff that is pure Deicide. It then launches into some blast beats before moving towards a riff that sounds like it was heavily inspired by early Cannibal Corpse. This isn’t to say the band simply copying these two greats, but rather that they are not trying to reinvent the wheel.

Unsurprisingly, this means that “Acidic Remains” is chock full of vicious, speedy riffs, aided by an old-school, Morrisound-esque production. The low-end on this release is especially punchy, which contributes to the early death metal vibe this EP gives off. From a vocal perspective, Manic Scum’s growler doesn’t really have anything distinct about him; his approach is sufficiently low, with no attempts at shrieking or anything of the kind. Consequently, this hearkens back to a time when death metal was a bit purer, and didn’t have a lot of overlap with other subgenres aside from thrash. Variety is not a necessity as long as the riffs rule, and that is exactly what they do on “Acidic Remains”. 

The band doesn’t spend the entire EP going all-out in terms of speed. There are also plenty of chuggingly heavy riffs (don’t get the wrong idea; this is the good kind of chugging). Again, the Cannibal Corpse comparisons spring to mind, as both bands have tons of mid-paced, headbanging-inducing riffs that are amplified by the audible bass playing. The key is crushing brutality, and that is precisely what Manic Scum achieves. Of course, this leaves minimal room for originality, but that isn’t a problem here. There’s a reason why everyone gets an excited when a lost death metal gem from the early 1990s is unearthed and reissued: we can’t get enough of this sound. For that reason, Manic Scum’s “Acidic Remains” is a worthy modern addition to this style!

Be sure to check out and like Manic Scum on Facebook!

Highlights

All of it

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott

Paraphrenic Hostility – Prepare For War

“Prepare For War” is the first demo from Philippines-based thrash metal band Paraphrenic Hostility. The title is an apt description of the 3 songs the band presents on this release. Their approach is fast and noisy, but the playing is tight. Riffs are thrown at the listener with rapid fire, rarely letting up. While these riffs are grounded in thrash, Paraphrenic Hostility’s singer takes more of a rougher death/thrash approach. The combination of his low-pitched grunting alongside being a bit further back in the mix keeps the riffs in focus throughout this release. It is only when the guitar solos appear that the riffs take a back seat. These solos demonstrate that the band’s guitarists are quite talented, as their sound is not dissimilar from early Kreator. In other words, Paraphrenic Hostility’s guitarists play speedy atonal licks that are designed to make the music feel even more chaotic. 

Though the band is successful in achieving a noisy sound, it also hurts them. There is little semblance of memorable riffs or vocal lines. The guitars put forth such a buzz that one can’t help but feel that sounding cleaner would greatly benefit the band. When thing are simplified, such as in the breakdown near the end of “Kamatayan sa Kamay na Bakal”, the band really gets on a roll. Most of the time, however, it is too difficult to discern what is going on. Overall, “Prepare For War” is a demo that shows potential, but is harmed by production. Fans of thrash should still check it out, but it is likely that Paraphrenic Hostility will go on to greater things in the future.

Be sure to check out and like Paraphrenic Hostility on Facebook!

Highlights

All/none

Final Rating

3.25/5 or 65%. 

Written by Scott