Satanic Royalty

I vividly remember the buzz this album caused in the German and international metal underground in 2011. Even though the black thrash/speed genre had seen the release of various timeless classics during the 2000s (Tara, Satan`s Boundaries Unchained, The Rise of Satanic Might, etc.), apart from a small circle of connoisseurs nobody seemed to care about these releases. However, things were fundamentally different in the case of Satanic Royalty. Upon the release of their long-awaited debut album, Midnight were hailed in metal magazines and across the internet as the smallest common denominator of the metal underground and the album received enthusiastic reviews. However, what were the factors that contributed to the success of this debut?

In terms of sound, Midnight drew heavy inspiration from the likes of Venom and Motorhead on their debut album, while still exhibiting several idiosyncratic elements that saved them from sounding like a complete copycat of these bands. At the same time, Midnight excelled on Satanic Royalty where many retro acts fail. Not only did they emulate the sound and the oeuvre of the black metal pioneers from Newcastle, but they managed to exceed their predecessors in terms of songwriting, tightness, and accessibility. Once you have heard effective and catchy cuts like "Rip this hell" or "You can´t stop steel", they will keep stuck in your head for weeks. This simplistic catchiness that hallmarks Midnight´s work to this day, makes them appeal to a bigger audience than their equally skilled but more technical peers. That being said, it must be stressed that the album sounds quite raw and that the raspy voice of Athenar and the blasphemous lyrics will deter it from ever gaining any mainstream success.

Additionally, Midnight had something about them that set them apart from their peers. Athenar seems to have understood that many successful metal bands leverage other aspects of their artistic expression to enhance the qualities of their music and to draw bigger attention. Similar to bands like Ghost, Portal, Kiss, or Slipknot, Midnight are a very thematic band that use their stage outfits (Mentor-like black hoods) and their overly blasphemous covers to create a unique identity that complements their rotten but ultimately life-affirming sound. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that Midnight made bigger waves in the metal scene with their debut than sonically similar bands like Blizzard and Gehenna.

Looking back at Satanic Royalty more than 10 years after its release, I can only say that it has stood the test of time and remains one of my favorite albums of the 2010s. Neither the brooding title track nor any of the following eruptions of speed metal and punk have lost any of their appeal and still serve as the perfect soundtrack for casual binge drinking or a friendly knife fight in a bar.