Bejeweled with a thousand years worth of conqueror’s overreach and resultant imperial collapse this third full-length album from Scotland and Germany-based epic heavy metal quartet MIDNIGHT FORCE aims to depict the historic rise and downfall of infamous warlords via a set of nine tuneful songs. Having built a compelling enough identity between two notable full-lengths the band now aim to solidify consistent personae by way of memorable, decidedly traditional craft on ‘Severan‘. Still thankfully inhabiting the raw and real spectrum of underground heavy metal their work takes on an increasingly tragedian approach on this album, willing to drill every chorus in mind via hubris and mayhem along the way. For the sub-genre fandom looking for an apropos application of grit and gravitas this’ll be an above-average, engaging traditional heavy metal record with a unique enough approach to stick in mind.

Midnight Force formed circa 2016 between folks involved in a variety of bands/projects ranging from grunge freak-outs and psychedelic doom to melodic death metal though their core inspiration for this troupe was a shared love for late 70’s and 80’s heavy metal be it the ‘epic’ side of United States groups a la Manilla Road and Omen or classics-era Wishbone Ash and Judas Priest. You could feel the heat from the forge right away as their first demo ‘Crystal Talon‘ (2016) previewed a couple of tracks from an impending EP (‘Restless Blade‘, 2016) where I’d classify their sound as early NWOBHM-esque in its simple and direct production values, obvious enough heavy rock roots and the EPs overall shift from Maiden-esque bustle toward a couple of more pensive songs that’d capped off the listen. It was the best possible intro to their sound in the sense that you didn’t have to guess what these folks sounded like live, a classic early 80’s heavy metal group with some modest melodic ideas that’d hardly stepped around old traditions. This’d more-or-less carried over into their brilliant debut LP (‘Dunsinane‘, 2019) an independent release that’d been picked up by a few labels as work of their achievements spread. That whole fuss is where most people caught on to their gig, again a decidedly traditional feat but one which arrived upon its knack for storytelling and catchier choruses alike, there’d been no denying a single like “Scarlet Citadel” then or now. Otherwise I’d particularly enjoyed the reprise of their shrill upper-register wailing vocals, slower paced pieces, and the general range trod on that album.

While that first LP had obviously caught on with me it was the quick turnaround time of band’s second album (‘Gododdin‘, 2019) that’d caught more ears and set expectations of the future. The recording was voluminous yet still rawed at the edge, shrill in its voice and bounding in pace to the point that it still felt like their work despite the songcraft being boisterous by comparison, though songs like “Covenant” suggested they were continuing to develop a cleverness they could compare to that early pub-level Maiden standard. I wouldn’t say that I’d been falling over myself at the announcement of ‘Severan‘ but I was genuinely curious where they were going with it, not having felt the step from LP1 to LP2 was an outright refinement. Five years, a global pandemic, and some considerable live experience abounding seem to have pushed the band further down the rabbit hole, taking the dramatic tone of the first album and carrying on with a bit more gusto applied to some of the ‘epic’ fixations found on ‘Gododdin‘. In this sense their third album shifts back into the epic heavy metal territory for my own taste, keeping it true while refining their general musicianship and sense for presentation both live and on record.

Since they’re primarily a Scottish outfit I’d assume ‘Severan‘ refers to the warlike Severan dynasty in the early second century specifically for their storied expansion of Imperial Rome’s territories into southern Scotland and ongoing attempts to expand into Caledonia. Don’t worry yourself with too much research here as each song has a different focus which may or may not relate direction to the imperium, for example the standout chorus of “Last Raider King” does set us in that general area but on a different timeline with its reference to Harald Hardrada appropriately referred to as the last Northern king in the song. At the very least the common theme is conquest by violence, invasion and such as the topic begins with Alexander the Great on opener “Megas Alexandros” and likewise touches upon similar conquer in China and I believe Korea (re: “Choseon”) as well. Needless to say the history and war nerds abounding in the epic heavy metal sector should appreciate what is essentially a well-built playlist of key events in history where conquerors fell and empires followed, generally speaking.

There is an authorship to this record which has me particularly keen on its exposition finding a simple and straight forward heavy metal medium to tell an ‘epic’ story (or, nine of them) and in the process easing on the potential pomp such an effort might typically entail. In that sense the listening experience is closer to Omen, or, even just the greater Greek epic heavy metal scene that’d sparked up in the late 90’s/early 2000’s as Midnight Force further develop their stride yet retain their core defining traits such as the active Harris-esque bass guitar style from Brenden Crow. In passing from “Megas Alexandros” into the vibrancy of “Three Empires Fall” there is an appropriate liveliness which kicks off the album without sidestepping the emphasis on ‘Severan‘ being a production, a bigger show rather than a set of singles or catchy songs. In this way ‘Severan‘ feels like a spirited reading on stage, chorales and all, as much as it is of course a simply effective heavy metal album. This embodies the ‘epic’ heavy metal modus in the most classic sense when production values were modest, understated even, yet the storytelling and the narrative itself were capable of setting the imagination alight rather than providing every frame of cinema possible.

While the warm up is a familiar thrill it isn’t until we get into the shout-along worthy rallies near the middle of the full listen that ‘Severan‘ reaches its engaging peak, taking particular note from the militia worthy rouse of “The Fires of Nanyue” and later on the aforementioned “Last Raider King” each of which make good use of repetition for the type of chorus that sticks in mind via a simple melody and a riff or two. Writing a memorable chorus and having the balls to shout it in the listeners ear something like twelve to sixteen times per song isn’t all that common anymore depending what haunts you frequent, of course, but I’d found was an aspect of Midnight Force‘s performances which helped built that 80’s heavy metal authenticity. Otherwise I’d fully understand if the average listener more engaged with the usual NWOTHM fit might find this obnoxious at a glance.

For my own taste the only thing missing from this particular listening experience was the slight epic doom metal feeling of their earliest work, as the band now prefer a more boldly shouted, sing-along and stamping base kit for their greater action. This does wonders for the strident goading pressure of the full listen in all of its brazen glory though once they reach that cranked-to-ten chest forth level of delivery they don’t let up. This creates an album I’d loved to leave on repeat and sink into but soon found my limit for its narrative. For my own taste the honest render, entertaining themes, and memorable approach to traditional songcraft with its own rough edge makes for an easily repeated experience. For most folks I’d venture a guess that their work will likely be an acquired or hyper-specific taste for most. A moderately high recommendation.

---