MIDNITE SKY – Blood, Sweat And A Little More (2013)

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Founded in 1993, Germans MIDNITE SKY were previously known as Zardoz releasing three hard rock records before being forced to a name change due a movie of the same name. With the new moniker, Midnite Sky put out a full length CD in 2004 and then disappeared from the scene.
After nine years, the Stuttgart quartet returns with a very good new album; “Blood, Sweat And A Little More”.

Midnite Sky’s music takes inspiration from the classic German & American Melodic Hard Rock genre with a touch of party / glamrock akin Bonfire, Fair Warning, ’90s Jaded Heart, Victory, Dokken, White Lion, Shakra and alikes.
The songs on “Blood, Sweat And A Little More” are filled with groovy rhythms, hooky riffs and contagious melodies throughout the whole album. They are great on the harmony vocal arrangements (all members contribute backing vocals), present on all tracks.
The musicianship is precise and we can hear a bunch of hot guitar solos giving an extra punch to these already melodious tunes. Perhaps the only drawback on some places are Holger Blickle’s lead vocals, particularly on the harder numbers where you can hear his German accent here and there, but nothing disturbing.

Strangely, “Blood, Sweat And A Little More” starts with the weaker tracks on the record; “Hellfire” is a simple hard rocker ala nineties Victory, while the extremely melodic “Feels Like Heaven” is ok, yet somehow lacks consistency.

Things change radically with the great guitar-driven “Change Your Mind”, a pure Melodic Hard Rock track in the best Bonfire tradition: razor riffs, bouncy rhythm section and a catchy chorus.
Then arrives my favorite track on the album; “Where Are The Angels”, combining the mastery of Fair Warning in the way to craft a superb mid-tempo atmosphere, and the verses & chorus build which reminds me the great (and underrated) British act Tobruk. This song along worth the CD.
Good sounds continue with the really catchy Americanized “All I Ever Want” plenty of backing vocals and a flashy six-string solo, the slightly Dokken-esque mid-paced “Tell Me Why” (nice pinpoint vocals here), and the Pink Cream 69 sounding “Lay Down Your Fear”.
The rest of the material is quite effective and melodic, particularly the most pure Melodic Rock cut on the album “Waiting for Your Love”, and the White Lion inspired “Love Is a Stranger”.

Well produced by themselves, Midnite Sky has delivered a solid Melodic Hard Rock recording on “Blood, Sweat And A Little More”, with something for everyone who loves this genre, as the band, for the most part, succesfully combines European and American stylings.
There’s some fillers in between, but in return we find some truly outstanding tracks on this CD. One thing that elevate these melodic tunes are the really well arranged harmony vocals all over the songs.
If you like the aforementioned bands (who doesn’t?) cited as an influence, grab “Blood, Sweat And A Little More” pronto.
Recommended.

01 – Hellfire
02 – Feels Like Heaven
03 – Change Your Mind
04 – Where Are the Angels
05 – All I Ever Want
06 – Tell Me Why
07 – Lay Down Your Fear
08 – Sex Bomb Love Machine
09 – Waiting for Your Love
10 – Love Is a Stranger
11 – Now You’re Gone
12 – Rock With Me Tonite

Holger Blickle – Vocals
Stefan Kreutz – Guitars, Vocals
Frank Hafner – Bass, Vocals
Markus Schübel – Drums, Vocals

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www.amazon.de/Blood-sweat-little-more-Midnite/dp/B00H8RJIPQ
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