Thursday, November 12: Byfist, “Midnight Mass”
Byfist was as much of an institution in the mid ‘80s Texas metal scene as Pantera and Watchtower, but they only managed to put out the self-financed You Should Have Known EP during the height of the era. “Midnight Mass” closed that mini-album out with vigor and force, though the low-budget recording values made them sound even more amateurish than pre-Anselmo Pantera. It wasn’t bad at all- the song was catchy and stayed resolutely metal- but it didn’t have either the technicality of Watchtower or the charm of early Pantera, and ultimately felt nondescript. With proper attention, Byfist might’ve had a little more potential, but as it was, “Midnight Mass” ended up being a left-behind artifact from an otherwise blessed time and place.
