As many Scottish bands continue to slay local venues, Glasgow's trad metal heroes Midnight Force are on the rise. I got in touch with the band to discuss their background, their last album Gododdin and their future...
Midnight Force formed in 2016, rising from the ashes of local glam group Disaster Area. In four short years the band have been busy, releasing two albums and touring the UK and Europe. There aren’t many Scottish bands that have made the same achievement, so how did it all begin for Midnight Force? “The other 3 guys were playing together in Disaster Area, who I loved. I had been living for a few years with Pete (Werninck, drums) and the Disaster Area bassist Tanner, then one day when Tanner couldn’t play a show I filled in,” explains bassist Brenden Crow, “eventually Tanner left the country so I ended up properly playing with them, and the chemistry was great!” It was this chemistry that propelled the band forward. With existing friendships and a shared love of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Brenden and Pete - alongside guitarist Ansgar Burke and frontman John Gunn - gelled together quickly and released their first demo Crystal Talon shortly after their formation. “Pete, Ansgar and I had plenty of time to work together. We all listen to NWOBHM so it was quite a natural fit. Brenden works quickly too so that also eased things along,“ Gunn said. Crow continues, “I’d never played in a straightforward heavy metal band before despite it being my first favourite genre. I came in with a bunch of ideas and inspiration right away. “The Midnight Force songwriting clicked pretty much from the get go,” Burke recalls of the early days, “I had some song ideas leftover from Disaster Area that didn’t really fit that band’s style so I could now finally finish them. Of course our eponymous song ‘Midnight Force’ was quickly written in among all the excitement of having founded the new band.” With a flash of the restless blade forward to May 2020, Midnight Force’s latest LP, Gododdin, has been blasting the old-skool metal spirit of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s for about eight months. The album continues the trend of its predecessor, the well-received Dunsinane, with epic tales of history set to their signature NWOBHM-inspired soundtrack.
“I like songs to have a meaning or depth to them. I feel like they’re stronger songs if they make you think more or research more about the topic,” Crow begins as he explains the band’s fascination with history, “that almost sounds pretentious. I don’t necessarily mean our songs are deep but maybe, they’re the tip of the iceberg from which you can go down and dive into whatever the song is based on.”
While some historical events are well-known, there’s plenty of stories from across the world that are often unheard of to many. While a lot of the heavy metal genre explores many well-trodden topics like politics and religion, Midnight Force like to bring these epic tales to light. “ I’m often trying to find parts of history that are a bit lesser-known to write about,” Crow continues, “For the next album I’ve already written a track about a viking and Alexander the Great. I’m also working on some about the founder of the Malian Empire and an uprising in Han-occupied Vietnam for example, and Gododdin opens with ‘Eternal Emperor’ about the brutal first Emperor of China.” With the songwriting chemistry in place Midnight Force focused on cementing their NWOBHM-esque style musically, and the retro production came naturally. Gododdin was produced independently by the band at their own studio, with a helping hand from their own family. “Pete’s brother is a qualified sound tech who’s worked with a lot of bands of different genres, so he knew just what to do. Brenden had a big hand in production as well, so we got the final result sounding just as we wanted it to with some work,” Gunn explains, “As for the songwriting, we more or less always do them as we go along and once we’ve got a good handful we’ll decide what sort of an order to put them in.” “I just want it to sound how I like, and that’s not really very over-polished,” Crow continues, explaining his role in the production, “The other thing about our production is that I’ve got the luxury of having our DIY studio down the road so I can go do tons of overdubs and time to make sure I’m not gonna regret not trying this or that.” The band spent more time experimenting with the production on Dunsinane, however the final mix of Gododdin came together much quicker. “I’ve been setting myself time limits!,” Crow laughs, “This album I just gave myself 2 months, and it worked because I’d got the experience of what is necessary and not already so I could do it all quicker.”
Gododdin was released in October and over the past eight months the reviews have been mixed, with the criticism mostly aimed at the production. “The criticism of the production is a bit unfortunate as it often meant people didn’t engage with the song material itself,” Burke reflects disappointedly, “A glossy production isn’t really what we were going for but we will take the criticism into account and will try and improve certain aspects on the next album!”
In their short career so far, Midnight Force have built up a loyal following both at home in Scotland and in Germany, with strong support from the latter’s rabid metal fans and features in notable German magazines. The band have brought their metal to several other European scenes including France, Spain, Greece and the Netherlands. However, their global touring ambitions don’t end there. “We’re always keen to go wherever really,” Gunn said, “I suppose my wildest dream would be somewhere like Japan or the USA.” “Going to Scandinavia would be cool,” Burke continues, “ we had a Finland tour planned but unfortunately we had to cancel. Also we haven’t played in places like Poland or Croatia yet, and managing a stint in Italy would be awesome.” While many metal shows, particularly from smaller bands involve simply getting onstage and invoking the room into a mosh, Midnight Force try to bring back some of heavy metal’s theatrics with props and costumes to bring their tales to life. However, the band have big aspirations for their future stage shows. “Some earlier concepts involved me being burned at the stake during ‘Witchfinder’ while a guy dressed as the Witchfinder General chanted the chorus, and having a great big throne to sit on during ‘Warlord Eternal’,” Gunn explains excitedly, “We want to try lots more dry ice, fake blood, big pennants at the back of the stage with the band logo on them...anything in keeping with the aesthetic we go for.”
Everyone is looking forward to the return of normality, and Midnight Force are keen to get back on track. “We’ll be getting back to the practice room to cement a few new songs, have a few beers and a general jolly good time!” Gunn exclaims, “we’ve got a jump on the new songs already because we’ve finished about 2 or 3 of them, and performed some at gigs as well. We’ve also plans for one or two gigs next year so keep an eye out for all that.”
A huge thanks to John, Pete, Ansgar and Brenden for their time in taking part in this interview and for providing photos. To see more of Stefan Rosic's photography, check out Conundrum Images linked below. Since the interview took place Midnight Force have released a new EP, Vessel of Darkness - check it out for some more awesome metal! Midnight Force: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube Conundrum Images: Facebook | Instagram
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