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Hellish Expectations is the sixth album from Cleveland, Ohio's Midnight, to go along with the obligatory host of splits, EPs, demos, compilations, etc. any self-respecting black metal band has to their name. As was the case on their last album, 2022's Let There Be Witchery, Midnight has found the perfect blend of punk fury, melodic sensibility, and unrelenting speed to deliver their ultra-catchy riffs and choruses in a blur of thrashing black metal. The guitar sound is that of a savage buzzsaw and the vocals are a bounty of evil ire. Songs like "Expect Total Hell," "Dungeon Lust," and "Masked and Deadly" are just a sampling of tracks that will melt your brain and leave you begging for more. This band has come a long way from their early, uneven releases to become one of my go-to black/thrash/speed metal bands, right up there with Bewitcher.