Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

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Band
Midnight Idols
Title
Nightrulers
Type
LP/EP
Company
Metal Blade
YOR
2008
Style
Hard Rock
11/21/2008 - Review by: Eric Compton

Midnight Idols
Nightrulers

Company: Indy
Release: 2008
Reviewer: EC
Genre: Traditional

  • Takes a non-serious spin on the 80s vintage sound



  • This Seattle band really caught my ear back in 2006 with their debut release "We Rule The Night". The band established early in their recording career that they were old school denim and leather through and through. The group's 80s intense riffs and songwriting recalled those old vinyl releases on Ebony and Combat back in the day. Since the band's debut they have added former Bitter End guitarist Russ Stefanovich as well as a new bass player and production assistant. The street metal band now unleash their newest metal barrage aptly titled "Nightrulers".

    This recording took place in the band's hometown courtesy of Chroma Sound. In the day and age of digital overload it is very odd to hear a true anaolog recording. "Nightrulers" was recorded using this 2" method and the sound is extremely fat and fuzzy but still missing that one little nugget of vinyl history...the crisp sound of white noise. This recording is amazing to hear on disc and really hammers home the point I made above that this band would have fit perfectly on that Ebony Records roster back in 1982.

    Beyond just the production values here, Midnight Idols is very comfortable playing 1982 riffs. This creates a dilemna for the band as well as the listener. One being any seasoned metal fan worth his salt has heard these riffs and song structures a hundred times over from bands all over the world through the 70s, 80s, and early 90s. One can easily hear Ostrogoth, Grim Reaper, and Omen on tracks like "Torch The Sky" and "Nymphonomicon". On the other hand is the band's possible appeal to the new generation of metal militia that are very pleased by what they perceive as something new and refreshing. Take a look at today's third generation thrash movement (Municipal Waste, Hatchet, Toxic Holocaust) and the legions of fans that buy their shirts and tickets. That sound was made famous at the same time the Nintendo Entertainment System introduced "Duck Hunt".

    Midnight Idols takes a non-serious spin on the 80s vintage sound and follows up on the band's fun debut. It is extremely entertaining and downright addictive, but the end result is something that must be looked at as simply a re-imagining of prior guts and glory. Recommended for fans of Zero Down, Valient Thor, Tokyo Dragons, and newer Alabama Thunderpussy.


    • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
      3.5 :AVE RATING

    ALL REVIEWS FOR: MIDNIGHT IDOLS
    TITLE
    DOR
    COMPANY
    REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
    Nightrulers
    2008
    Metal Blade
    Eric Compton11/21/2008
    3.5
    We Rule The Night
    2005
    Independent
    Eric Compton1/18/2006
    -

    ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: MIDNIGHT IDOLS
    INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


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