TAILGUNNER is one of those young bands that have made a bloody good impression with their music. Their 2023 debut album "Guns For Hire" was received with  very high ratings by reviewers, but also very favourable reactions from the audiences who heard it. In the meantime the band has been taking to the stage more often, and even there they are making waves, simply by playing their Eighties orientated Heavy Metal with almost surgical precision, whilst never forgetting to not only provide their live audience with a scorching set, but to have a good time themselves as well. What that has done is gotten them acknowledged in such a way that the festivals are almost falling over themselves to get TAILGUNNER booked for this year's events. My nearest festival is Dynamo Metal Fest, and yes, they are playing there this year.

On 6 February 2026 the second piece of TAILGUNNER slab will hit the air and the shops. "Midnight Blitz" is brought to us by Napalm Records, and the fact that we as reviewers were only allowed to listen and review through a streaming link says enough about how important this band has become. Well, let's get on to the music then. What TAILGUNNER stands for is pure Heavy Metal that has more than one foot in the eighties, whilst maintaining a very contemporary sound, making them part of the NWOTHM movement. What I found with the debut as well as "Midnight Blitz" is that the music is produced to sound very smooth, making listening to TAILGUNNER not only easy, but liking what you hear very fast just as simple. Has anything changed since 2023, when their debut "Guns For Hire" was launched? Yes, there are differences. You can hear that the band has gained a whole shipload of experience in playing live and growing towards more of a unity in the last couple of years. That makes the songs on "Midnight Blitz" sound a lot more cohesive, a tad better in arrangements.

That can also pose a threat, as for some purists TAILGUNNER might just sound too polished in comparison to 2023. Yes, even though the songs are better, that is the case. (If you're wondering, I am one of those.) The possibility arises that some may reject the change. (No, I'm not going that far, as this one is slightly better than the debut.) On the other hand, as everything is done to such a high standard, there undoubtedly will be new fans showing themselves left, right and centre. There is no escaping the fact that whatever you may think of "Midnight Blitz" individually, the masses will eat this up, will devour it with ease. And they will be right, because what TAILGUNNER does on this album from time to time is breathtaking.