Review Summary: What could’ve been a mere palette cleanse ends up being among Uncle Acid’s best albums
Following the experiment with Giallo film soundtrack emulation on 2024’s Nell'ora blu, Shapes Of Midnight sees Uncle Acid returning to their signature sound for the first time since 2018’s Wasteland. The opening “House By The Grave” is all too happy to exert a full on thrust of Sabbath circa Volume 4 worship, boasting catchy falsettos and a driving groove that doesn’t let up even as the song’s back half turns a darker turn. But even as the album’s subsequent songs delve deeper into their familiar spooky doom sensibilities, it may be the heaviest Uncle Acid has ever sounded.
This also being the band’s first release as a five-piece band certainly play into it, but it thankfully ends up enhancing their best attributes. Additions like a second guitarist and a dedicated saxophonist could’ve been superfluous yet they’re coordinated well enough to boost the band’s character. The saxophone showcases on a song like “I Won’t Sleep (Until You’re Gone)” provide some new slants on their creepy funhouse side and the extra guitar interplay unleashes plenty of engaging trade-offs and meaner snarls.
From there, the songwriting trods familiar ground with a certain swagger that hits closer to the early eighties aspirations. The title track sets a rockin’ precedent with its tight shuffle and rowdy attitude seemingly rooted in AC/DC of all things. Yet it stays committed to their sinister camp, generating a bold confidence into the Doors organ-flavored “When Evil Wakes,” the stoner-surf speed of “Don’t Let It Control You,” the peppy doom pop of “Psycho On The Loose,” or the closing blues creep on “Sleep No More.”
With Shapes Of Midnight, what could’ve been a mere palette cleanse ends up being one of Uncle Acid’s tightest offerings to date. A more fleshed out band roster combined with heavier playing makes a mission statement of straightforward catchy songwriting that much effective and the band’s occult signatures are still prominent enough to where one doesn’t miss the usual slow burns too much. At a time when Uncle Acid gone far enough to have its own share of acolytes, Shapes Of Midnight reassures us that they’re still on top of their game.
