“Proving Grounds” is the debut full length from Toronto metal throwbacks Midnight Malice. It was produced by Ian Blurton which gives it some pedigree.

As far as speed-metal goes It’s pretty by the numbers. Imagine if Motley Crue released a record that was just “Live Wire” over and over again. That’s not a knock, by the way. “Proving Grounds” sounds great! All eight tracks are uptempo with plenty of quality riffs and chugging guitars. Vocalist Caleb Beal is an adequate vocalist with plenty of snarl (he never attempts to hit any huge metal falsettos)

If you love old-school heavy metal, you can’t go wrong with Midnight Malice. Just don’t expect anything groundbreaking.