I’ll admit, the announcement of a new Uncle Acid and the deadbeats album hardly registered with me. It’s been a damn long while since I’ve had them in regular rotation, as I sorta fell off after 2015’s The Night Creeper. Not that that record really spoiled anything for me—it just didn’t seem to do anything that my favorites, Blood Lust and Mind Control, hadn’t already handled better. That said, it took almost a decade for them to catch my ear again, this time with the (respectfully) weird and adventurous detour of 2024’s mostly instrumental Nell’ Ora Blu. Its soundtrack-y, synth-forward nature showcased the group as genuinely astute mood-setters, even if it ultimately felt more suited to passive listening than the kind of record I’d actively return to. Still, it was enough to remind me that there’s something uniquely compelling about the way Uncle Acid and the deadbeats can set a tone—and maybe that I’d been a little too quick to give up on them.
While their occult proto-metal contemporaries Ghost shapeshifted from similar stripped-down beginnings to achieve varying degrees of critical success and significant popularity, I’ve always felt that UA’s comparatively reserved, less immediately theatrical approach offered more potential. Where Ghost have increasingly embraced the spectacle and lore, UA hit me as less clownish and gimmicky, finding ways to be genuinely unsettling and music-focused without resorting to this razor-blade-in-my-Halloween-candy sort of Trojan-horsing Satan into pop music that everyone seems to find so clever. So I admit, I have a little rooting interest and bias here. Not that this guided my listening so much as brought to light an interesting contrast in how things just happen to shake out sometimes. I’m not passing judgment on either approach or trying to yuck anyone’s yums, I just find it curious how what seemed to be similar bands a decade-and-a-half ago have taken such different paths.
So, that leaves us with actually getting into Shapes Of Midnight and where UA find themselves in 2026. While some bands trickle in new flavors over time, their hard pivot on Nell’ Ora Blu, though head-scratching at the time, nicely paves the way for Shapes Of Midnight. Here, the analog synths and horns are again essential, coloring a more metal-forward (oh, we’re beyond proto-metal now, babes) sound while also establishing these textures as something utterly integral to the UA sound, making them sound fuller and more complete and compelling than ever.
The title track is a prime example, delivering that signature UA haunted bounce, recalling one of my all-time faves from Mind Control, “Poison Apple,” here with synths lending a cosmic warmth akin to Zombi that significantly ups the ante on the spooky factor. This fuller, more robust sound enhances their more metallic edge on this go, even with some Thin Lizzy-esque harmonies and more nuanced, detailed songwriting. Still catchy as all get-out, thankfully, but structurally, Shapes Of Midnight has way more meat on its bones, earning every second on the record’s longer compositions. The melodies, while a strong point on previous records, are at full-tilt here in many forms. B-side opener “Psycho on the Loose” delivers a well-timed 80s metal gut- punch in the vein of Judas Priest with one of the best hooks of their entire discography. Similarly, “Don’t Let It Control You” finds a surfy, classic rock ‘n’ roll backbone where keys bang away, and yet again, the way things come together feels so right, not homage-y, schtick-y, or experimental, but rather that UA is just dripping in such rich horror and throwback atmosphere that the juxtaposition of these tracks doesn’t even make me flinch.
The pieces they've put into motion and the world they’ve built over the last couple records feels like it’s fully realized here. “When Evil Wakes” gives the synths and horns even more room to shine, hitting this sort of Doors-y stride, even dipping toes in a pitch-black boogie before gathering steam and building to a Sabotage-era Black Sabbath peak where leads flirt and dance around one another, richly layered vocals froth up a hypnotic haze, acoustic guitars lend a metallic ring, and the bass and drums lock into a groove both nimble and rock solid. It’s an early highlight representative of their comfort, confidence, and vision. “The Other Side of the Sky” connects with another stellar metal hook, matching this buzzy, near-sci-fi synth with a cowbell-laden stomp that will satisfy Mountain fans. Bigger yet is “I Won’t Sleep (‘til You’re Gone)” which captures glam and psychedelia through a veil of sepia-tinged goth rock, boasting bombasts of horns that are as infectious as they are curious—it’s almost surprising there’s not an Iggy Pop guest spot on this track. It’s sassy, sultry, and downright chilling. (“We’ll be turning the soil while your bones start to boil on the stove”? Oof!) Again, the production is phenomenal, every element hits with clarity, power, and purpose. Truly and expertly orchestrated.
Ultimately, Shapes Of Midnight offers a complete, well-rounded, and fully actualized version of the Uncle Acid we’ve all …kind of… heard before. The retro flavors are absolutely on point with the additional instrumentation, the songwriting is as sharp as ever, and the horror storytelling inspired by Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death offers depth and intrigue. It’s exactly what I didn’t know I had been waiting for, and by the time the oddly bluesy, almost Danzig-esque closer “Sleep No More” drives its artful and unnerving final nail in the coffin, Shapes Of Midnight has revealed itself as not just a fantastic record in its own right, but also as the culmination of years of harrowing work. (Un)Safe to say, the time to reconnect with your old Uncle Acid has never been better.