TAILGUNNER
Midnight Blitz
Napalm Records

Vampires!
Conquests!
And a lot of blood!

Not that heavy metal had ever prided itself on being neat and orderly in the first place, but if there’s one upcoming band in the scene that’s ready to clean up well in 2026, it’ll likely be TAILGUNNER, the fiery UK quintet whose powerful and unabashedly traditionally classic heavy metal sound they’ve been honing since their inception in 2018 – or New Year’s Day of 2022 once they’d officially established their name – is pure to its core. It’s certainly pure-sounding enough in its deep-rooted origins stemming from MAIDEN, MOTORHEAD and PRIEST that their debut album Guns For Hire caught the attention of one KK Downing, earning the band the chance to open for his own project KK’s PRIEST when they made their live debut in 2023. And for a young band, they’ve been busy racking up as much accolades as they have with road experience as they can also count co-headlining UK/European tours with RIOT V, UDO and ARMORED SAINT among their touring accomplishments. And when KK Downing declared them as the band that “embody everything that heavy metal stands for” just after offering to produce their sophomore album, it’s safe to say that TAILGUNNER are a fiery contender for the NWOTHM throne.

And now that everyone knows about the man in the back who said “Everyone attack!” who helped turn ten songs into Midnight Blitz, let’s find out more about those (ahem) sweet-sounding traditional neck-wrecking numbers. The title track opens with a soaring air raid siren followed by some blitzkrieg-sounding drums – most likely inspired by the actual NWOBHM band BLITZKRIEG though the rhythm is the best tribute to “Aces High” ever attempted – courtesy of drummer Eddie Mariotti, and then followed further by the dual axe attack of Zack Salvini and Rhea Thompson and the soaring vocals of Craig Carns while the thundering bass of Tom “Bones” Hewson guides the rhythm along with the precision and velocity of the General Lee fleeing the law with a trunk full of moonshine. Follow-up numbers “Tears In Rain” and the grandiose melodic-sounding “Follow Me In Death” showcase TAILGUNNER’s MAIDEN influences a bit more clearly beyond the choice of band name (the title of the opening song off No Prayer For The Dying), with Craig’s own fresh clean vocals drawing comparisons to Number Of The Beast-era Bruce Dickinson in parts.

Not just solely content with keeping their 80’s influences consigned to heavy metal, TAILGUNNER sink their fangs into 80’s vampire horror comedy with The Lost Boys-inspired “Dead Until Dark” and would probably be the only worthwhile moment to the accompanying soundtrack from any future remake attempt of the 1987 flick. The 6-minute rager “Barren Lands And Seas Of Red” continues to weave catchy choruses with manic thrash riffs and proves a penchant for epicness while “War In Heaven” showcases even further the narrowing familiar gap between Craig and Bruce’s vocals and would also probably would find itself fitting in well on the soundtrack of a rebooted version of The Neverending Story. The following “Blood Sacrifice” increases the tempo significantly and offers numerous opportunities to raise your fist together with TAILGUNNER, while “Night Raids” and “Eye Of The Storm” sprinkle in triumphant tones – the perfect preparation for the grand finale. Midnight Blitz masterfully rounds off the power metal feeling of “Eulogy” by transitioning from gently orchestrated melodies and memorable vocals to a speed metal fireworks display.

Summing up TAILGUNNER’s heavy arsenal of trad metal throughout Midnight Blitz: It’s like lightning, everybody’s performances were frighteningly awesome, and the music is soothing even for the skeptical gatekeeping old school masses who will all start grooving the moment that other air raid siren sounds off.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

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