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Voyage Of The Eagle Reviews

 

The Metal Mag wrote:

 

"Ten songs to capture your imagination and keep you alive. In this modern world you have to get away and the best way is to listen to bands such as Elixir! A brilliant album 99/100"

 

You can read the full review here

 

 

Battle Helm was one of the first to review Elixir's new album 'Voyage Of The Eagle'. Shan Siva writes:

 

"It’s been almost a decade since we last heard from this great band and now Elixir have returned with a release befitting their revered cult status and loyal following over the years – and that’s 10 years overdue in my opinion!"

 

You can read the full review here

 

 

Metal Forces Magazine gave 'Voyage Of The Eagle' 9 out of 10! Neil Arnold wrote:

 

"Voyage Of The Eagle" is a dense, layered, musically magical piece of work brimming with effortless charm" and states "Elixir have carved out a modern classic..."

 

You can read the full review here

 

 

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Blog Webpage wrote:

 

Now with "Voyage of the Eagle" and most of the original line-up back in the fold they show they are right up there. The album is superb. Make no mistake. Yet again – the New Wave of British Heavy Metal is as relevant as it was forty years ago and bands like Elixir keep up that tradition exceptionally well.

 

It’s early May 2020 as I write this – and I can say right here right now that "Voyage of the Eagle" is so good it’s album of the year material.

 

You can read the full review here

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Led Into Temptation Review

Here's an extract of a review by Kit Ekman for True Metal Lives, May 2017.

"After a few spins, I’m pleased to report that Led into Temptation is a very enjoyable release, indeed.  It’s definitely true to Taylor and Denton’s NWOBHM roots, but it also moves toward more contemporary metal realms, on the one hand, and more in the classic rock direction, in the other.  What I mean by that is that Midnight Messiah aren’t afraid to put some variety into this record.  Songs like “The Merry Widow” (whose origins pre-date Elixir, if my information is correct) and bonus track “Right Place Wrong Time” both channel Thin Lizzy beautifully.  Then there’s stuff like the high-octane opener “Second Coming” and the super-catchy “Go to the Light,” which capture the true NWOBHM spirit and will have you singing around the house for days.  Denton (who is credited with most guitars, plus bass and the occasional keyboard) has a knack for strong riffs and melodies, and Taylor has that kind of ageless Biff Byford / Tony Martin voice: a little road-weary, perhaps, yet still rugged and laden with distinctly British character.  Two songs, in particular, are worthy of emphasis.  Proper album closer “While Heaven Bleeds,” is a six and a half minute tour de force with a towering, foreboding Iommi-esque riff, a lumbering tempo, and an emotional vocal performance from Taylor.  The song suddenly takes off at the four and a half minute mark with a gold-plated riff, a somewhat faster tempo, and the most gripping vocal on the album.  Stirring stuff.  Then there’s “The Sinner Must Die,” sporting a tough-as-nails riff, a devil-may-care attitude, and a relentless, hard-driving beat, interspersed with a beautiful guitar harmony in the chorus section and even a glorious Maiden-type bridge.  The whole album’s worthy, but “While Heaven Bleeds” and “The Sinner Must Die” earn top marks for sure."

You can read the full article here

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Heavy Metal Maniacs Festival 2014

Paul Taylor & Phil Denton
Picture by Rita van Poorten

"MIDNIGHT MESSIAH stands for high quality heavy metal. Two members of the band are from the cult NWOBHM band ELIXIR and these guys are the pillars on which this band will stand tonight for me. The other members have showed their skills already on their debut album “The Root Of All Evil”. If you already liked this marvelous album, then you’re in for a real treat. Almost without any breaks between the three songs, they open tonight with “Thirty Pieces Of Silver”, “Damned For All Time” and “Evil One”. And believe it or not, MIDNIGHT MESSIAH are making magic. This was an awesome start. The opener is easy on the ears and contains that well-known catchy ELIXIR sound, that makes it go down pretty easily. I think it’s one of the killer songs on the album and a perfect way to start your show. Goosebumps appear with the first ELIXIR cover “The Star Of Beshaan”. What a killer track!! You can hardly call this a cover of course, because almost half the band consists of ELIXIR members and with a jaw dropping performance of this ELIXIR classic, they prove that MIDNIGHT MESSIAH has got the same energy, the same drive and the same attitude as ELIXIR. With “Holy Angel” they have another surprise coming up. Phil takes the opportunity to go off the stage to join his fellow metal heads in front of the stage. Like I said already, this band makes magic happen, off and on stage. “Wise Man Of Roklar” and “Destiny” are on next and the band grabs a handful of songs from their new album. Dave Strange, the tandem mate of Phil, on guitar is from a different caliber than ‘Storming Norms’. He looks like a young version of Zakk Wylde and sounds a bit like Randy Rhoads here and there. But most of all, he is a capable guitar player that helps out Phil pretty well in the great guitar sound, that the band wants to create. Darren Lee proves to be a steady drummer, who forms a winning team with bass player Alex Machell. “Pandora’s Box” from the “Son Of Odin” album is on next. Talking about classics here?! It was written almost thirty years ago and still going strong. For two songs we return to “Root Of All Evil” with “You’re No Friend Of Mine” and “The Rock”. If you still don’t like the band by now, the MESSIAH will change this soon with two more covers from the ELIXIR era, namely “Treachery” and “Son Of Odin”. Especially this last track calls for some nice cooperation with the crowd, because the words ‘Son Of Odin’ are shouted out real loud. Fists are thrown in the air. Paul leads the way. He’s one of the finest frontmen of the NWOBHM scene in my eyes. What a voice! “King Of The Night” and “Midnight Messiah” are the last tracks of tonight’s show. You could hardly tell the difference between ELIXIR and MIDNIGHT MESSIAH. They have the same joy in playing live, the same high quality music and they are the same down to earth people, that are enjoying the great atmosphere at the P60. A real top act in my opinion and we were glad to meet up with singer Paul and guitar player Phil again. Both thumbs up, lads! It was good to have you back again after ten years and please come back again soon". Toine van Poorten, True Metal Fan

You can read the whole article here

 

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Hard Rock Hell Helloween 2014

Mark Ashby of Planet Mosh wrote:

"Hard Rock Hell has a deserved reputation for bringing together classic acts with the best of rising talent, and openers Midnight Messiah (https://www.facebook.com/MidnightMessiah) proved this point right from the off, as they took to the stage at the seemingly unmetallic hour of 6pm on the Thursday evening…  Having arisen from the ashes of the legendary (in their own lunchtime?) Elixir, the London five-piece kicked off the weekend in fine style, with their updated, classic NWOBHM sound very much in the vein of Saxon – especially in Paul Taylor’s earnest vocals – delivering a generation-spanning set of pure, honest, straightforward metal enjoyment".

You can read the full festival review here.

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Power & Glory Festival 2014

"I know that a festival is never a competition, still some shows you always like better than others. For me the first huge surprise of the day came in Midnight Messiah. I had their CD, but did not have the Elixir albums (quickly got them after the show as they were available on CD or vinyl) This band had a diverse show, great songs and they turned out to be a band that makes you wonder why did they not break big again? A band to follow closely, hopefully I can make it to Heavy Metal Maniacs in October".

Review by Erik Scholten.
29th August 2014.
You can read the full festival review online here

 

"I awaited the arrival onstage of Midnight Messiah. Now this band are another newish band, but unlike Toledo Steel they are not made up of young musicians. Vocalist Paul Taylor and guitarist Phil Denton are former members of Classic NWOBHM band Elixir. I loved Elixir back in the 80's but never got to see them live. They finally disbanded in 2012 but thankfully Midnight Messiah were born and this gig was a dream come true for me because the band had decided to put some older songs into the setlist which went down a storm. They didn't overshadow any of Midnight Messiah's own material though. Their debut album 'The Root Of All Evil', which Paul very kindly gave to me is a storming beast, reminiscent of Saxon and Demon and live they are a force to be reckoned with. Young guitarist Dave Strange is a real talent and 'The Evil One' is a song destined to become a metal classic. When they had finished their set you couldn't wipe the smile off my face!"

Review by Richard Tilley.
8th September 2014.
You can read his full festival review online here



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