Harry Shiels
When Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats teased a release for 2024, not many expected what arrived in the form of Nell’ ora blu. A soundtrack to an imaginary Giallo film (a subgenre of Italian exploitation films from the 1970s), it was a complete departure stylistically from everything you’d come to expect from the hard rock leaning, vintage fuzz loving doom cult. What felt like an ode to progressive legends Goblin (famous for their multitude of Giallo soundtracks), the album was heavy on synths, saxophone and noir spirit that made for an incredibly stylish departure. Partly inspired by Poe’s ‘The Masque Of The Red Death’, Uncle Acid are back to their roots on Shapes Of Midnight, but not without employing many lessons learned on their previous detour.
The album opens in classic Uncle Acid fashion with ‘House By The Grave’, occult rock inspired hard rock psychedelic riff worship with massive grooves and the throwback vocal melodies we’ve all come to know and love over the years. Ripping guitar solos and classic hard rock stomp will be a breath of fresh air to those who felt the last album’s avant-garde approach was not to their liking. The Deep Purple-esque double time switch in the last few minutes gets Shapes of Midnight off to a ripping start. The title track has hooks for days, the middle break with rhythm shift and spacey synths into a driving Sabbathian passage, with a massive vocal melody feeling distinctly Ozzy-inspired, working its way into a regular hum. Followed by twin guitar harmonies into a lengthy solo, massive classic heavy metal energy.
More than anything the band have doubled down on chorus, hooks and melodies, working as many memorable hooks as possible. From the previously discussed ‘Shapes Of Midnight’, to the eerie intro riffs, synth hooks and subtle saxophone work on the chorus drive for ‘When Evil Wakes’. Another example (and an unexpected genre twist album standout) is ‘Psycho On The Loose’, which feels like a forgotten cut from a legendary cult horror film soundtrack from the early 80’s. Full of pulpy synth leads and a monstrous chorus, it’s hard not to get dragged into smiling from ear to ear whenever the track rolls around, at points feeling like an obvious nod to old label/touring partner Ghost.
The production is spot on and fits the vintage aesthetic to a tee. Recorded at the legendary Abby Road Studios by Chris Bolster (Phil Spector, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul McCartney), live to tape and purely analogue, the album’s sound is steeped in classical tones and historic influences to the core, and all the better for it. Like the warm glow from watching cult classic horror films on a CRT television, something about Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats recorded to tape just feels right to the ears. Taking lessons learned from Nell’ ora blu’s ambient and progressive moments, there is still expansive use of synths and saxophone across Shapes Of Midnight, adding welcomed diversity into the psychedelic soundscapes explored by Uncle Acid without detracting from the raw, analogue warmth of the production.
Lead single ‘Don’t Let It Control’ is rightfully picked to showcase everything Shapes Of Midnight is about. A driving hard rock riff reminiscent of the first few Uncle Acid releases, it shows off the band’s return to their natural style with the enormous sing-along chorus hooks that saturate the entire album from top to bottom. ‘I Won’t Sleep (Until You’re Gone)’ has a delightful driving groove to it, demanding a little hard rock boogie with the swinging drummers and persistent bass line. It doubles down with a saxophone solo in the latter half with raspy and haunting vocals barked over the soulful blasting of sleazy horns. The track reaches a boiling point before getting lost in the steam with a dreamlike instrumental fade out. It’s all brought back down to earth with a classic Uncle Acid feeling nod on ‘The Other Side Of The Sky’, with more vocal hooks and trippy synths expanding the remit of psychedelic riff glory.
Finally, ‘Sleep No More’ brings the pace slamming down into a spacious sleaze laden groove. Subdued vocals delicate above the plodding power of the mid-tempo instrumentals underneath, dramatic synth leads soaring above the smattering of riffs and final classic feeling guitar solos. The song starts to become more feverish as it continues, aptly becoming a waking nightmare as the layers and intensity quietly dwindle and expand throughout the track’s runtime. Eventually succumbing to the noise and closing, an acoustic rendition of the main riffs fades away into haunting whispers and eerie atmospherics as Uncle Acid once again disappears into the night.
This feels like the most approachable Uncle Acid project so far. With a brushed up focus on distinctive hooks, melodics and almost pop leaning structures to the tracks, but still retaining that vintage fuzz and occult rock energy to the entire experience. It feels decisively less jam oriented with a focus on established structures more than ever. Not to say there is such a thing as a bad Uncle Acid album, but given time, Shapes Of Midnight will take its place amongst the top competitors for the crown in the band’s discography.