by Justin Gaines
– Sr. Columnist —
You know it’s a good sign when a band name is taken from a classic New Wave of British Heavy Metal song title. That’s not the only nod to the NWOBHM we get from San Francisco-based heavy metal band Midnight Chaser, who delivered their second full-length album, titled Lions Choice, in 2014. It is only now getting a proper CD release (thanks to the up and coming Swords and Chains label).
Midnight Chaser is another one of the wave of young American bands playing old school Heavy Metal. Beyond the obvious NWOBHM inspiration, there’s a heavy dose of party Rock in Midnight Chaser’s brand of Metal, especially in the very cheesy lyrics. Lions Choice is a fun album though, and a really rocking one. It’s very easy to get into the hard charging rhythms, and even easier to sing along with the catchy choruses. The vocals are very distinctive, and while they work for the most part, they do sometimes seem better suited to punk or indie rock than an old school Metal band.
Lions Choice is a relatively brief album, and only six of the eight tracks are originals. Of those, Midnight Chaser seems to have put the best songs at the beginning (“Lions Choice”) and end (“The Hunt”) of the album. “White Denim” and “Down For Whatever” are also good, rocking numbers, but the cheese factor is pretty high on those. The two covers – Savage’s “Cry Wolf” and UFO’s “Mother Mary” – are very good choices and are well executed.
There are so many new bands in the traditional Metal scene that it’s easy to fall through the cracks. Midnight Chaser got a much-deserved second look with the CD release of Lions Choice, and hopefully this will bring them some new fans. With a little more polish, they could become one of the better bands in the scene. As is though, Lions Choice is an album fans of current bands like Borrowed Time, High Spirits, Widow and NWOBHM bands like Tygers of Pan Tang, Jaguar and Savage should enjoy.
Genre: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Lineup:
Stephen (g)
Josh (v)
Zack (g)
Grant (b)
Doug (d)
Track Listing:
1. Lions Choice
2. Rollin
3. White Denim
4. Juicer
5. Cry Wolf
6. Down For Whatever
7. Mother Mary
8. The Hunt
Label: Swords and Chains
Website: www.midnightchaser.com
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10
