Honest rock music played on real instruments: this is MIDNIGHT PREY! In a feral-yet-atmospheric way, this German three-piece play an honest and powerful old-school kind of sound, anchored in the darkness. When MIDNIGHT PREY was founded in 2013 by Hannes Ruhland (drums), Winston Ziller (guitars, vocals), and Daniel Friesen (bass), they had known each other for two more years since the age of 16-18, already having a bit of reharsal and live experience together and apart. From Venom to Frank Zappa, from Roxy Music to Bolt Thrower, from Rory Gallagher to Black Flag - almost nothing was taboo on their record players. Growing up together sharing their love for good handmade music of all kinds of varieties, they played their way through Germany's underground heavy metal stages and released a demo on tape called The Savage Sessions in 2013 via Witchhammer Productions. In 2014, a promo tape called Rehearsal Rites was exclusively sold at one show, containing rough recordings of the songs to come out on the following EP, Rite of Blood, which was released on CD, tape, and digital. MIDNIGHT PREY moved from the southwest of Germany to Hamburg in 2015. After playing a lot of shows in Hamburg, there was the release of a 7" single called Blood Stained Streets, which underlines their romance for the dirty, booze-soaked streets of St. Pauli (Hamburg). Now, at long last, their debut album, ominously titled Uncertain Times, is nearing release, and the power-trio are more than ready to unleash their sheer energy onto the world! Indeed, energy is in abundance across Uncertain Times, but tempered with a focus and clarity that suggest the work of veterans. Skillfully working with space and shade, the songwriting retains an urgency but is never in a rush to the finish line, either; MIDNIGHT PREY just play it cool and keep the heads banging and fists pumping. Likewise, with that ever-present energy, they wisely don't over-distort or saturate their sound, keeping a clean-yet-gritty aspect that reverently straddles their many stylistic inspirations. Whether it's '70s hard rock, '80s heavy metal, or classic punk and speed metal, MIDNIGHT PREY mix it all into one addicting concoction that simply demands total thralldom - and repeat plays! Uncertain Times is ageless wisdom spoken sagely in complicated, all-too-modern times...and it's time for MIDNIGHT PREY!
