Review: Midnight Phantom – Murder on 42^nd Street

Independent (July 14th 2023)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

Hailing from Hannover, Germany, Midnight Phantom is a project that burst onto the scene back in 2020. They released one previous album independently, plus a remixed version of the same album, which technically makes this release their third. Consisting of members Stephan Wsintek on vocals and Christian Heimbucher on everything else, the pair have recorded an album that was heavily influenced by bands of the late 80/early 90s that many will want to check out.

It’s clear with the opening track that these boys know how to construct a catchy melody.  ‘Danger Zone’ reminds me in parts of Autograph’s song ‘Loud & Clear’ but with a slightly slower tempo.  Open power chords in the verses and melodious background vocals in the chorus.  Familiar, but performed in a way that is still thrilling to listen to.

That’s just the beginning. With thirteen tracks, there are some strong songs that harken back to that 80s rock vibe beloved by many. ‘Eyes of Medusa’, ‘Starting All Over Again’, and the title track are three standouts for me that I found myself repeating several times before moving onto the next tracks on the album. That engaging title track, placed at the end of the album, is something quite special. A great high-energy song that is distinct from everything else showcased here. It’s clear why the band decided to name the album after it. It is sure to be the song that people will think of when their name comes up in conversation.

Some other standouts are the ballads. The power ballad ‘Always Remember’ has some great lyrics involving nostalgia and familial ties. ‘Dream of You’ is also a power ballad with a great feel for longing and sorrow and is cathartic in the way that only a power ballad can be. Finally, the acoustic ballad ‘Tonight’ has the best use of layered background vocals in the chorus, very Def Leppard inspired.

A few other tracks worth mentioning are the heavily-influenced Van Halen track ‘Girl From MTV’. The opening is a practical re-creation of the beginning of ‘Hot for Teacher’ with what follows having that same similar groove, with a few more time changes and horns and pianos added.  I’m not crazy about instrumental tracks, but I did appreciate ‘The Final Anthem’, a track similar in tone to what Steve Stevens did for the Top Gun Soundtrack. At under three minutes, it does not overstay its welcome and breaks things up a bit with its inclusion. Not the most essential track but I appreciated its placement on the album.

 When you have thirteen tracks on an album, you are bound to find a few that are not as strong as others. ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Time Machine’ has an unforgivably ridiculous chorus. The title doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue and the band makes no attempt to rhyme the lyrics in the chorus.  Relying solely on nostalgia is not enough to make a song worth people’s time. ‘Peacemaker’, with its decent heavy style groove, feels forced, like they were trying to get noticed by James Gunn so he could add the track to Season 2 of his Peacemaker HBO show. Another issue with both songs is they are placed at the beginning of the album and there are way better songs found on the album if you get past those.

One more small contention is the production. While it’s listenable and enjoyable, you can tell there were limitations in the budget and the material lacks a crispness that you would find with other bands that have the financial backing of a major label.

With many of the tracks, you can point out exactly what band they were inspired by when creating the respective songs. I have no problem with that when it is done this well. This is a band I do not see anyone talking about online, even with the album having been released two weeks prior to this review. You are going to want to check this band out, as I can easily see this project growing into a full band that will be picked up by a major label in the near future. You’ll want to hear now what people will be talking about later.

Tracklist:

1. Danger Zone
2. Rock ‘N’ Roll Time Machine
3. Peacemaker
4. Always Remember
5. Eyes of Medusa
6. Night Stalker
7. Dream of You
8. Starting All Over Again
9. When The Cats Are Away
10. Girl From MTV
11. Tonight
12. The Final Anthem
13. Murder On 42^nd Street