MIDNIGHT FEATURE Invite You To A Night Of Hammer Horror With Debut Album "Hex Rentals"
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
Draw the curtains, get the popcorn, it's time for some spooktacular rock'n'roll! No movie marathon here though - rather the debut album from Birmingham horror punks MIDNIGHT FEATURE. If the idea of demons, vampires, and ghoulish delights excites you, you're in for a treat. The band released their first music last year to great acclaim, and have now sunk their claws into their first full length release, aptly titled "Hex Rentals".
Fuzzed up opener "Final Girl" kicks things off ravishingly, a catchy rhythm carrying the track forth. There's some particularly nice chords in the verses, really shaping the dynamics, and the chorus is ripe for some foot-tapping.
The release combines previously released songs with new affairs, but exciting, new life has been breathed into the older tracks, ensuring even familiar favourites sound fresh - the true horror reboot treatment. In particular, "Vampires And Other Creatures" sees some particularly nice variations, ending with some excellent screamed vocals, and the upbeat feel of "Saturday Night Fever Dream" is well preserved. It's a vast improvement over previous versions of these songs, the sound and mix cutting through clearer and hitting harder. Much like a rather dashing vampire, time has been kind here.
The whole album is shaped by passion for the macabre, straight down to the book-like album cover art, and as evident in catchy leading single "Satan's Night Out". The band also blend a variety of genres together, a true creature feature. It's hard not to dance along to the bassline of "Let's All Do The Frankenstein", or the move to the bluesy guitar twang of "Death Walks In High Heels". Bonus points go to the brilliant track titles too - the latter is up there, but you're not getting much better than "His & Hearse".
Perhaps the best showcase of the band's passion is the title track, complete with VHS static and inserting noises. The distinct soundtrack feel to this is a nice way to conclude the album, capping off this love letter to the genre. And as the final note rings out, I know one thing for sure: I'm yet to see Midnight Feature live, but I can imagine it's a hell of a lot of fun.
"Hex Rentals" is out NOW on streaming platforms
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