TAILGUNNER – Midnight Blitz

vote
7.5

• Bands:
  TAILGUNNER
• Duration: 00:44:31
• Available from: 02/06/2026
• Label:

• Napalm Records

Streaming not yet available

We could already sense that the young Tailgunner had something special with a five-song EP released in 2022 and, immediately after, with their debut album the following year, entitled “Guns For Hire”, which was also widely praised on our pages. It can really be said that since the beginning the English band has managed to leave its mark, proposing a classic metal with power-tinged hues with extreme determination, creating fucking fiery songs.

Now Tailgunner are aiming high: you can see it from how much they have invested in recent times to highlight themselves on social media and launch this new album produced by Napalm Records, starting from the videos published in the various online channels, all decidedly curated, up to the fact that 2026 will be a busy year for the group, already being able to boast participation in the major European festivals and even before, in the days in which we are writing, with the rich tour in support of Hammerfall. In short, the label and band strongly believe in this “Midnight Blitz” and the investments appear important, also given the current times.

Classic, British-style heavy metal that pays homage to the NWOBHM; all true, but the quintet – which also includes the Italian drummer Eddie Mariotti among its ranks – does it with a pinch of modernity, first of all with regards to the production, powerful and full-bodied – probably more powerful than the debut – still the work of KK Downing (KK's Priest and ex Judas Priest) and then with a sound that tends to run quickly and lightning-fast, winking precisely at the power scene. Ten tracks that push headlong, with a clear objective, even if not explicitly stated, which is to hit without hesitation. In short, a compact work that leaves few useful moments to take a breath.
And the siren that sounds at the start almost seems like a warning ready to warn the listener, as if to warn him with: “Be careful, from here on out you will be shaking your head!”.

The start with “Midnight Blitz” is perfect thanks to its pace which only increases the anticipation, leading shortly after to the detonation which arrives with strong riffs and vocal lines to be hummed, accompanying, with our imaginary microphone, the frontman Craig Cairns; not a phenomenon, the latter, but the classic singer capable of transmitting enormous emphasis. The sharp “Tears In Rain” leaves its mark, perhaps not so indelible, but it is with the turbulent “Follow Me In Death” that Tailgunner add further gunpowder in their cannon: sparkling rhythms and melodies that capture from the first passages are the ingredients on which the band has always abounded, even more so in this case. The two guitars, played by Rhea Thompson and Zach Salvini, intertwine at high speeds, creating truly exhilarating instrumental passages. If the more sparkling power of “Dead Until Dark” is appreciable, we felt the lack of granite riffs and a more gritty passage that arrives punctually with “Barren Lands And Seas Of Red”, where Craig's uvula also becomes decidedly rougher.

Subsequently, we get back to racing with “Blood Sacrifice” first and “Night Raids” and “Eye Of The Storm” then, leaving us here a little dumbfounded by the fact that the band has particularly focused on somewhat uniform sound solutions, while the lack of some midtempo or some more elaborate moments makes itself felt. Good pieces, certainly, but which risk, precisely due to the lack of variety, making the listening experience a little too monotonous. It is true that even the predecessor “Guns For Hire” was not recognized for multifaceted solutions, but it certainly could boast of the surprise effect. Luckily – without changing things too much – comes what is probably the super-hit of the album, “Eulogy” which masterfully concludes the listening session with its triumphal notes (and finally here are some epic atmospheres, at least at the start!), always driven by energetic and sustained drums and fiery guitars which run, during the solos, at speeds normally not permitted in inhabited centres!

Despite the doubts expressed above, Tailgunner's return holds up to the expectations it brought with it, given the excellent debut and all the hype that accompanied this release, but we expect a step forward in the compositional maturity (and variety) of these guys in the near future. If this first month of the new year seemed a bit empty of record releases as far as the most classic and smoking heavy metal is concerned, here comes the first sound roar with the thunderous return of these English guys, who want to take the role of protagonists of the scene and who will bring “Midnight Blitz” – and all the energy that its songs emanate – around the world in the near future!