Raínha da magia negra

What really intrigued me to checkout Midnight Priest was to see if the music was as good as the cover. If anything says foreign metal 86', it's this.

The mega tight compositions and clean production are just an added bonus to this fresh find. You also have to give these guys credit for singing in their native tongue of Portuguese, no matter the country, most bands sing in English and it's a hard world for those who don't. The first 2 songs are without question the best songs off the EP, title cut "Rainha Da Magia Negra" and "Juizo Final" (Queen Of Black Magic and Final Justice). The guitars are what really make this album shimmer, with lots of harmony riffs and solo trading that really bring you back.

I despise the terms "Trad-Metal" and "Retro-Metal" that bands like Midnight Priest always seem to get because I don't think it does any justice and find it more of a poser term, I would just classify them in the standard classic heavy metal and it could certainly become a classic. Although the musicianship is definitely there, some of the songs still don't have the edge needed, and come off as filler compared to the first two. The album ends on a high note with mid-paced "O Conde", but you have to listen to a few mediocre tunes to finish it.

If Midnight Priest can follow this EP with even stronger material, they will surely bring the people to mass.

(Originally written for http://hardandheavyreviews.blogspot.ca)

I had never heard of Midnight Priest nor could I pronounce the name of this album when I first saw it online. But the artwork captivated me and told me I had to buy it. The painting is purely gorgeous at every step of the way and the detail is simply incredible. Alan Lathwell is definitely an up and coming artist in the metal world and deserves to get more work if he can keep making appealing art like he did for Midnight Priest’s “Rainha Da Magica Negra.”

Now the question is will the music stand up to the high expectations that the cover art led me to believe. Midnight Priest can be compared to the likes of Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, and Judas Priest. You can hear where these bands influences come into play in their songs, but their music isn’t a copy of any of that, they have their own style, originality, and uniqueness. They combine songwriting and musicianship to make good songs that surely any true metal fan will enjoy. The riffs on each song are memorable and the guitar solos will have you wildly jumping, and flailing on your air guitar. Unless you speak Portuguese you’ll have no idea what these guys are singing about in any of their six songs. This might kill the pleasure of listening for some people, but they shouldn’t be looked over because they don’t sing in English. Their vocalist may not be the best in the land but he fits in with their music and there is no need to change something that isn’t broken. Some of the songs I enjoyed the most was the title track “Rainha Da Magia Negra,” “Numa Campa De Cristal,” and "O Conde." But there isn't a weak song of the six, they are all good and completely worth the near 29 minutes of your time.

Midnight Priest struck well with their debut ep here and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table on their debut album. They will most likely never hit the global headlining status but they can definitely achieve enough of a strong underground support if they continue their hardwork and dedication just like they did on Rainha Da Magia Negra.

Mike Mendyk
Steel & Fire Records
www.steelandfirerecords.webs.com

Midnight Priest are a NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal) band from Portugal. Their sound is one of a dark, classically-influenced origin, with influence being draw from the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, and Black Sabbath. Their debut album, the album in question, isn't that bad at all. It's actually one of the better offering of the movement so far. The album rings with the sound of their influences, yet with originality at the same time; something rather refreshing among the first wave of NWOTHM bands.

From what I understand - not being fluent in Portuguese (or Spanish, whatever they speak down there) - is that the English translation for the title of this album is Queen of Black Magic, or something along those lines. The album is full of tasty riffs, fancy solos, and overall impressive musicianship, best heard on songs like Juzio Final and Rainha da Magia Negra, both catchy yet dark simultaneously. Being very picky about vocalists, the band could do better than "The Priest", but they could also do much worse, and his voice complements the band's sound rather well.

It's hard to find much of a downside in this album. One thing that really got me about this album (and band, for that matter) is that the vocals are all sung in their native tongue. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but being rather persnickety about my vocalists and lyrics, songs I can't sing along to are a bit of a turn off. If vocals don't bother you too much, than you should probably buy this album, especially if you like any of the bands listed above, or are fluent is Portuguese. It's my opinion that Midnight Priest are not to become major players in the NWOTHM movement, but rather a metallic diamond among the rough of the genre.