As they stand on the precipice of their second tape EP release of 2019, and having just played their first gig in March of this year, Detroit classic metal four-piece Midas extend that waste-no-time ethic to their songwriting. Their first offering was March’s Solid Gold Heavy Metal (review here) that found the four-piece with members of Wild Savages and Bison Machine coming together around a shared appreciation for Priest, Maiden and all things NWOBHM and proto-heavy rock raucousness. The follow-up 16-minute four-tracker, Still Hungry, follows a similar course — it’s only been a few months, after all — but seems to be even tighter in its presentation and even more than its predecessor both the triumph and the celebration thereof, the double-guitar four-piece bringing the party and the reason to celebrate in the first place. It’s a fun combination in a way that doesn’t actually take itself as seriously yet as Iron Maiden always seemed to. One hopes they never get to that point, frankly.

The guitars of Casey O’Ryan (lead) and Joe Kupiec (rhythm, also vocals) lead the charge as one would expect, and the sense of gallop on second track “Usurper” tells you nearly everything you need to know about where they’re coming from. Following the winding grandeur of opener “Sands of Time,” the charge of “Usurper” is both the longest cut on the tape at 4:59 and a standout in terms of its pace. Choral vocals echo in the second half over drum thud from Breck Crandell as they make their way back toward the chorus, and whether it’s Anthony Franchina holding together the low-end beneath the head-spinning fretwork from his six-string compatriots or the turn to a more angular, heavy rocking jabs on “Street Knights,” Midas continue to wear their love of heavy metal glories on their sleeve. They call to mind the electrifying early days of Chicago’s Bible of the Devil in terms of their style and energy, and thereby seem to be picking up the torch of a Midwestern metallicism that, well, is the kind of thing that might produce a festival like Alehorn of Power or Legions of Metal, the latter of which Midas will play in Spring 2020.

They close Still Hungry with “White Wolf” and actually dare to hit the brakes momentarily in the process, but soon it’s back to choice dueling leads complemented by some particularly tasty basslines, and they cap with a driving forward riff and a few pow-pow-pow hits before dropping off cold at the finish. Boom, cue applause. You know, for a band in their first year to have such a sense of what they want to do, it basically tells you that they got together with an idea in mind. Midas isn’t a group that just happened to start playing in a room together and produced this grade of dual-axe antics. But even with a firm aesthetic goal, it’s hard to predict where they might go and what they might bring to their sound over the course of a whole album. Interludes, solos, arrangements, and so on. They’ve demonstrated twice now that they know what they’re doing in terms of songcraft, but that’s not the same as fleshing out their personality across a debut full-length. Before they get there, they’re reportedly in talks to bring Still Hungry and Solid Gold Heavy Metal to a compiled CD and LP for next Spring — presumably sometime around Legions of Metal, but who knows — and then I’d guess it’ll be sometime after that they settle down to work on their first proper long-player.

Whenever that shows up, it’ll be one to look forward to, as Still Hungry proves they are most certainly famished, what on earth might it take to sate a sound such as this?

Full Still Hungry EP stream is below, followed by tour dates. Thanks for reading:

And enjoy:

MIDAS has followed up ‘Solid Gold Heavy Metal’ with the heavier and more sinister ‘Still Hungry’. Still straddling that line that split the 70s and 80s, they bring bigger and more complex sounds to the feast with their latest release. Tape pre-order will be live on Nov. 11th. Tape release date is Nov. 20 through Hardcore Psychedelia in Detroit. Catch them on tour on the East Coast this November, and at Legions of Metal this spring in Chicago alongside speed metal legends, Exciter.

Still Hungry Tour
Nov. 15th – New York – Sunnyvale*
Nov. 16th – Philadelphia – The Tusk*
Nov. 17th – Baltimore – The Depot*
Nov. 19th – Providence – Dusk
Nov. 27th – Ann Arbor MI – Lo Fi
Nov. 29th – Dayton OH – Blind Bob’s

MIDAS is:
Casey O’Ryan – Lead Guitar
Joe Kupiec – Vox, Rhythm Guitar
Anthony Franchina – Bass
Breck Crandell – Drums

Midas on Bandcamp

Midas on Thee Facebooks

Well earning their two Flying Vs, Detroit newcomer four-piece make their debut with the Solid Gold Heavy Metal tape, pressed up in an edition of 100 copies and set to release in time for the band’s first live appearance on March 23 alongside Lucifer and Spell in their Motor City hometown. The new group is born out of classic heavy rockers Bison Machine and Wild Savages, who are no strangers to each other having both participated in a split alongside SLO (review here) in 2016. Midas, though, are on a different trip, deep-diving into the NWOBHM with both guitars blazing as Casey O’Ryan and Joe Kupiec (the latter also vocals) remind all with ears that it was denim and leather that brought us together, and Anthony Franchina and Breck Crandell, bass and drums, respectively, hold together the forward charge that seems ready to hijack Iron Maiden‘s private jet and fly it to glory.

Opener “Clash of Steel” is a clarion to the converted, making natural use of the NWOBHM’s Thin Lizzy influence to affect an early-metal atmosphere will still remaining modern in terms of production value. They’re aware of the influences they’re working under and the style toward which they’re playing, of course, but there’s nothing tongue-in-cheek about Solid Gold Heavy Metal that wasn’t tongue-in-cheek about the genre four decades ago. “Gauntlet” picks up with tales of legendary battles that, you know, may or may not be based on the video game — I’d have to see a lyric sheet to confirm — and “White Lightning” ups the Priestly groove as they lock in a somewhat more mitigated tempo, and that leads smoothly into “Blackened Blade,” which complements the proceedings fluidly and taps into an easier-rolling line of lead guitar to go with its capstone hook, “Curse this blackened blade.” There’s a fifth song, hidden — don’t tell anybody — and it’s a cover, but I’ve been politely asked not to say what it is. I’ll just say it’s a riot and it fits and leave it at that.

Imagine yourself getting the tape, dubbing copies for friends and trading with other people you got in touch with after seeing their trade lists in the back of print magazines. It’s like that. You can stream Solid Gold Heavy Metal using the player below. Have fun with it, because the good times are just getting started.

Enjoy:

Rising from the ashes of two long running Michigan rock bands, MIDAS rides forth bringing SOLID GOLD HEAVY METAL to the world! With a tip of the hat to bands like Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Saxon, and all the late 70s precious metal, their debut promo tape spans the spectrum but is still grounded in a continuation of the progress made during their previous tenure as separate bands. A short tour is in the works for this summer and work has already begun on a full length LP.

MIDAS makes their on-stage debut at Small’s in Detroit MI alongside Sweden’s Lucifer and Canada’s Spell on March 23rd. Copies of the tape will be available at the show and for order on the MIDAS bandcamp page. Limited to 100 copies. Surprise bonus cover track only available with purchase.

MIDAS is:
Casey O’Ryan – Lead Guitar
Joe Kupiec – Vox, Rhythm Guitar
Anthony Franchina – Bass
Breck Crandell – Drums

Photo by Bambi Guthrie.

Midas on Bandcamp

Midas on Thee Facebooks