Here we have the debut release from Portuguese metal heads Midnight Priest. Partying like it's freaking 1986 the band fuse a wonderful mix of traditional heavy metal, NWOBHM and an injection of Mercyful Fate/King Diamond-style occultism. Their self-titled debut is a rip roaring ride, and can very easily stand toe to toe with any of their Swedish counterparts.

Whilst the album is awesome, there is one slight hindrance, that being the fact that the band sing in their native tongue so I have no idea what they're singing about. However it still rings out as being catchy, and you can definitely tell their singer is passionate. Midnight Priest is another band proudly channeling the power of the riff. Every track boasts a face-melting riff, and there is a slight rawness to the production which really adds bite. Take a listen to "Segredo De Família" for a lesson in ass-kicking, this track in particularly reminds me of King Diamond and is put together in a very interesting way, boasting a stupid amount of awesome riffage.

There isn't much left to say about Midnight Priest. Any fan of balls-out heavy metal is going to want to get their hands on this straight away, and anyone who can appreciate a good riff should hear this at least twice. Midnight Priest are going to be a band to watch, and despite the language barrier holding them back this is still bloody great. Given an English-speaking frontman this band could seriously conquer, but that's really more of a personal preference than anything. Just as good as any of the Swedish bands mining this vein of metal, Midnight Priest gets my recommendation.