{"id":44716,"date":"2014-09-05T06:43:04","date_gmt":"2014-09-05T11:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=44716"},"modified":"2014-09-05T06:44:29","modified_gmt":"2014-09-05T11:44:29","slug":"midnight-sin-sex-first-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/midnight-sin-sex-first-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Midnight Sin | Sex First<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"MidnightPromoting themselves with a combination of words \u201crock\u201d and \u201csex\u201d and all possible derivations of the two, Midnight Sin may appear to be an Italian answer to Steel Panther. The title of their debut Sex First<\/em>, released via Bakerteam Records, is suggestive enough, not even to mention the particular songs off that album (\u201cCode: 69\u201d, for example) or the band members\u2019 supposedly adapted stage names. Acey Guns sounds so totally \u201880s, doesn\u2019t it\u2026? But these Italians are able to do something more than just shamelessly brag about their sexual antics and decadent lifestyle \u2013 they can really rock, and Sex First is a clear proof of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSnake Eyes\u201d is a minute-long album intro, which sounds just exactly as if a nice family picnic of the vintage black-and-white movie was interrupted with an alien invasion or Satan\u2019s uprising \u2013 or maybe both? If you remember the humble beginnings of Steel Panther (back then, Metal Skool) and their spoken word skit \u201cSatan\u2019s Intro\u201d \u2013 the impression is more or less the same. This being said, there\u2019s a kind of similarity between both also in terms of music, not only the exploitation of the same clich\u00e9s \u2013 the first \u2018proper\u2019 track \u201cMidnight Revolution\u201d assaults the listener with a dose of catchy, powerful glam metal enhanced with modern-day production.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeed Me With Lies\u201d and \u201cNo Matter\u201d continues in a similar manner, the vocal harmonies and melodic choruses of both in vein of Reckless Love (with slight touches of H.E.A.T). It\u2019s the \u201880s cock rock in a contemporary package \u2013 not that we haven\u2019t heard that before, but the old formulas and slightly worn-out patterns still work out well, it seems.<\/p>\n

A pumping bass opening of \u201cTill It\u2019s All Gone Away\u201d may sound a little more raw, but still, don\u2019t expect from Midnight Sin to turn into a sharp-clawed brutal metal machine. This won\u2019t happen \u2013 at least on Sex First, as the above track turns out to be one of these melodic-to-the-utmost, almost poppy tunes tough metalheads listen only with their curtains drawn and windows closed. \u201cYou Piss Me Off\u201d both music- and lyric-wise sounds as if it was a literal outtake of Steel Panther\u2019s newest album, perhaps with a little bit of star-studded glam supergroup Shameless. Its follow-up is a piece of meaty, muscular sleaze rock, titled \u201cRise & Yell\u201d. Next is \u201cCode: 69,\u201d again a nod and a wink to Steel Panther\u2019s slow-ish tunes such as \u201cCommunity Property\u201d or \u201cFat Girl\u201d \u2013 the song\u2019s theme being also quite familiar to Michael Starr-fronted group. <\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be explained that out of the eponymous \u201c2 Words\u201d, one is a four-letter one \u2013 but it\u2019s certainly not the first time the Italian hedonists drop their favourite F-bombs on Sex First. After this portion of melodic glam metal, a final track turns out to be a charming piano-based power ballad (yes, you must have already guessed that at least one has to be there, for the sake of the unwritten rules of the genre). \u201cSweet Pain\u201d is as saccharine as Poison or Warrant would get in their best ballad moments, with the singer Albert Fish doing his best Bret Michaels impersonation \u2013 a neat finish of an unrevelatory, but certainly enjoyable album.<\/p>\n

Bands like Midnight Sin, who continue on carrying the torch even though the \u201880s are long gone now, may not be equally convincing for everyone. Symphonic rock aficionados won\u2019t find much for themselves on Sex First, and perhaps also those who found Nirvana\u2019s grunge revolution refreshing will react on it with plenty of eye-rolling and head-shaking. Still, those who don\u2019t feel ashamed of sporting their faded Pretty Boy Floyd t-shirts and who never stopped using the excessive amounts of AquaNet even when going out jogging will love what the hedonistic Italian quintet is all about. At times, it may seem Midnight Sin has been way too diligent disciples of their American colleagues Steel Panther, minus the parody factor. But even if it is so, their shameless tales of sex and parties, accompanied with powerful riffs and catchy hooks, will remind you either why you miss the \u201880s or why you wish you were born thirty years earlier. Much recommended to every glam metal fan, not only as a soundtrack to committing sins at midnight. <\/p>\n

Genre: Hair Metal, Glam Metal, Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nAlbert Fish \u2013 vocals
\nLeStar \u2013 lead guitar
\nMaurice Flee \u2013 rhythm guitar
\nAcey Guns \u2013 bass
\nDany Rake – drums<\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1.\tSnake Eyes
\n2.\tMidnight Revolution
\n3.\tFeed Me With Lies
\n4.\tNo Matter
\n5.\t\u2018Till It\u2019s All Gone Away
\n6.\tYou Piss Me Off
\n7.\tRise & Yell
\n8.\tCode: 69
\n9.\t2 Words
\n10.\tSweet Pain<\/p>\n

Label: Bakerteam Records, Scarlet Records<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/midnightsinband<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Senior Columnist — Promoting themselves with a combination of words \u201crock\u201d and \u201csex\u201d and all possible derivations of the two, Midnight Sin may appear to be an Italian answer to Steel […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":44717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[9943,2317,1094,1125,1103,9941,1838,9942],"class_list":{"0":"post-44716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-bakerteam-records","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-glam-metal","11":"tag-hair-metal","12":"tag-hard-rock","13":"tag-midnight-sin","14":"tag-scarlet-records","15":"tag-sex-first"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}