Founded 35 years ago, Lizzy Borden has been around since the early days of hair metal. The band named after the notorious lady who used to wield an axe with deadly precision was mostly successful in the 1980s. However, like so many bands from those days, Lizzy Borden was hit hard by the rise of grunge and groove metal, bringing down productivity and resulting in long breaks in the band’s career. As a result, “My Midnight Things” is only the third album since 1989’s “Master of Disguise” and it’s been eleven years since the previous release.
Kicking off with the title track, “My Midnight Things” has a catchy start with all the ingredients that Lizzy Borden is known and loved for: upbeat melodic hardrock/metal with Lizzy’s characteristic smooth vocals and a strong chorus. The main difference with previous works is the production, which is so sugar-coated that I have the urge to brush my teeth after every song. Unfortunately, not all songs are as strong as the title track. Tracks like “Obsessed With You” and “Run Away With Me” make me cringe, while the balladesque reprise of “My Midnight Things” is completely useless. However, “Long May They Haunt Us” is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year, with a haunting chorus and an excellent melodic vibe, keeping the stuck in my head from the first spin. “The Perfect Poison” is another example of what Lizzy Borden is capable of, showing some raw talent underneath their smoothly polished exterior.
So far, fan reactions to “My Midnight Things” have been mixed and this is totally understandable. If you enjoy your hair metal slick and smooth, it’s definitely going to be your cup of tea and there are some really good songs on the album, but it lacks consistency in songwriting and should have sounded much less cheesy.
(6/10 Lykle Thijssen)
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