As stated on the cover, "Midnight" is a full-length album by Toward The Throne. TTT has been mixing various styles of melodic, atmospheric metal since 2013, and, well, I clicked on this release's Metallum page because it's listed under progressive metal. Now it makes sense why I'm even here! Honestly, someone could label a dance-pop record "progressive metal," and I'd listen to it. If this French four-man band's independently released LP is melodic, progressive, and harsh, then I'm all for it. If it's dance-pop, then I'll be pissed.

The symphony starts strong with "The Void: Road From Chaos." Is it an opener? Is it a proper track? Between the hushed whispers, harsh vocals, and on-and-off playing, it could be anything. I'm sure that "Midnight," the title track, is a full song, but it's practically nothing without its grand atmosphere. The satisfying black metal drumming sets the tone, and the crisp gutturals echo across said tone, whipping you away to a windy mountaintop where you're forced to fight a legendary swordsman. In short, the graspable melodies and soaring guitar solos are perfect to daydream to. "7HATE" sounds like something George Lucas scrapped for the original trilogy, and my inner Star Wars geek loved it. The seven-minute "A Poisonous Flower in the Desert" is where some progressive elements come in, with a dark acoustic/bass/drum jam that evolves into the band's typical blanket of sound. The amount of musical territory Toward The Throne can go through in seven minutes is quite impressive, and I can always rely on the track to loop back to that jazzy passage, which gives me a break from the epicness that is this album and this song.

"Caught Between Breaths" taps deeper into death metal, my preferred genre out of the two that Toward The Throne utilizes most. The chunky, angular riffs are headbangable, which is an uncommon attribute for songs on this project. "Malice in Veins" gets back into the progressive feel with some djenty guitar work and time signature trickery. "Forge Ahead"  takes "Malice in Viens" and ramps up the intensity, and like most of these tracks, I feel empowered and even uplifted. There's something about that lead guitar that makes me want to fight an army by myself.

It's pretty damn clear that Toward The Throne is in fact NOT dance-pop, and they can tear you apart while also cradling you in dissonance. "Midnight" is a nice album full of melodies and atmosphere. I'm disappointed that this wasn't as progressive as Metallum made it out to be, but I enjoyed it, and it's a perfect LP to read a sci-fi book to. For homework, go read Dune or some other popular space-centered novel with this playing in the background, and write a five-paragraph reflection on your thoughts.