RSS Feed


TAILGUNNER
Midnight Blitz

Napalm (2026)
Rating: 6.5/10

UK metalheads Tailgunner have been somewhat underwhelming when it comes to their releases. Debut 2022 EP Crashdive garnered a cult following, but in my opinion it did little outside of its bar room brawn. Admittedly, the combo upped their game slightly for 2023 full-length Guns For Hire, but in a world of 80s throwback and sound-alike’s I remained forever sceptical. I guess, however, that there will always be an appeal in good, ol’ fashioned heavy metal and with Midnight Blitz Tailgunner remain cemented in the style of cocksure balls to the wall metal, only this time with something far more glistening.

Since the last opus there have been a couple of line-up changes. In 2023 guitarist Rhea Thompson was recruited to replace Patrick van der Völlering, and last year drummer Eddie Mariotti (Coltre) stepped in for Jani Pasanen, who had brief spell in the band after the departure of Sam Caldwell. However, it’s fair to say that since forming in 2018, Tailgunner has suffered quite a few changes. Bassist Thomas “Bones” Hewson remains the ever present member, while vocalist Craig Cairns and guitarist Zach Salvini have both been in situ since 2020.

Alterations and upheaval aside, Midnight Blitz shows progression from previous outings, the band evolving with every song into the tightest of the tight. Dashes of Iron Maiden still litter the sound of Tailgunner, although with less British gumption. However, the band isn’t afraid to experiment, bringing both power metal and shades of speedy metal to their arsenal alongside anthemic choruses to boot.

Cairns has really matured vocally and his versatility and power comes to the fore on the Blade Runner-inspired ‘Tears In Rain’. Unfortunately though, there’s also something incredibly sanitised and glossy about the sound, and dare I say it AI-esque, more so with the promotional lyric video which accompanies the track. And that’s the thing, by gaining more attention it could be argued that molten metal fury is substituted with shimmer and sheen. The Gothic melancholy of ‘War In Heaven’, featuring Adam Wakeman on keyboards, is both majestic and synthetic.

Just how much influence has the record label had on this, I ask myself, or is that just me being sceptical again? Discarding all signs of stained denim, Tailgunner now squeaks in shiny leather, preparing themselves for the soulless vacuum of the big time with the continued nods towards Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, with former Priest axe man K.K. Downing stepping in to produce / approve the opus.

I’ve no doubt that the all too clean production and Euro power metal feel will be lauded by the Tailgunner’s fans as “professional and progressive”, but to me it just feels like timid tampering which removes the band’s previous rough edges and coats them in polish. However, as we are all fully aware, in this day and age opinions – especially in the media – mean both nothing and everything, but you just can’t please everyone.

Even so, I still feel that Midnight Blitz boasts a few solid cuts of prime metal, or should that read Primal Fear metal? My favourite cluster are led by the metallic gallop of ‘Follow Me In Death’ and the infectious 80s cheese of ‘Dead Until Dark’, although everything displayed here feels shiny new and rather plastic, with only the solos providing any sort of fire. Still, the die-hards and Euro gangs in freshly sewn battle vests will lap this up as Tailgunner embarks on this quest for stardom, and I’m sure Napalm Records will give them the push they deserve.

‘Night Raids’ and ‘Blood Sacrifice’ epitomise the cold blandness of today’s generic dynamics as what should be scorching hard rock becomes a formulaic gallop of gloss. There’s no denying the energy of the posse and I certainly applaud them for making the shift, if it was a genuine rather than forced move. Tailgunner circa 2026 is a very different entity, whereby the guitars sound compressed rather than gritty and so what started out as a ballsy Brit rock band has suddenly transformed into a pinched and pristine decidedly Euro power metal act that wouldn’t seem out of place on the current melodious Greek or Swedish scene.

Midnight Blitz is not quite the bar room blitz I was expecting, but I’ve no doubt the 10 out of 10 reviews will be in abundance. However, this is not from me.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share