Heavy metal from Sweden – that has been a mark of quality for decades. The so-called NWOTHM also produced some fantastic formations such as Enforcer, Steelwing and Ambush. In recent years, however, bands that are a little more raw and somewhat less suitable for the “masses” have caught the eye – consider Century and Tyrann.

From now on, you can add two names to this category: Midnatt and Overlorde. On their programmatically titled split Swedish Heavy Metal you can hear their two debut demos (originally released in 2022), which really make you sit up and take notice.

In contrast to their colleagues, Midnatt sing in their mother tongue, which in my opinion harmonises perfectly with metal. Musically, the trio immediately reminds me of the aforementioned Tyrann – the guys get straight to the point. The classic riffing is captivating and immediately transports the listener to a club smelling of sweat and beer, where only the diehards from the Keep it True cosmos congregate. One possible point of criticism is the occasionally somewhat off-key vocals, but in my opinion they fit perfectly with the honest, down-to-earth music.

By the way, the latter can be said about Overlorde. With one restriction: musically, this band is a little less straightforward and more daring. You could also say quirky, which is always a positive quality on this blog. In addition, the accelerator pedal is often pressed down hard. If these songs had been launched in the 80s, the community would probably be shouting “Cult!” out loud.

Conclusion: Midnatt and Overlorde will be able to present themselves to a larger underground audience for the first time with this release via Gates of Hell Records. Of course, not everything here is “perfect“ yet – but that’s irrelevant. Both bands succeed in conveying the essence of classic metal in an impressive and authentic way. It will be interesting to see what we hear from these two young Swedish hopefuls in the future! In any case, they’ve made perfect use of the often-spurned split format.

Midnatt on Bandcamp: Click here.

Overture on Bandcamp: Click here.