Rising British Heavy Metal band Tailgunner have announced their sophomore album Midnight Blitz, set for release on 6 February 2026 via Napalm Records and produced by Metal icon K.K. Downing. Introduced by air-raid sirens, the title track Midnight Blitz launches with blitzkrieg drums and screaming twin-lead guitars, a statement of intent from a band carrying the torch of classic Heavy Metal into the present day.
K.K. Downing says Tailgunner “personify everything that is Heavy Metal,” while the band call Midnight Blitz their all-time opener aiming squarely at the lineage of Aces High, Painkiller, Welcome To The Jungle and Hells Bells.
“Whilst touring our debut album,” the band said, “we shared stages with members of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Accept – we watched, we learned, and we put it all down on tape.
“Everyone remembers the first time you hear the opening track on an album that changes everything. The hair stands up on the back of your neck and you know from this moment onwards, nothing will ever be the same. The launch sequence on the next era of Tailgunner has been hit.”
Across the record, Tailgunner channel Maiden-esque grandeur, Thrash-tinged riffing and massive choruses, from the epic Tears In Rain and Follow Me In Death to the power-ballad War In Heaven and the Speed Metal fireworks of Eulogy.
Midnight Blitz will be available on multiple limited single LP Gatefold variants, digipack CD, cassette and digital formats. Tailgunner will tour extensively through early 2026 with HammerFall and as support on Fozzy’s Eyes On You UK run, before hitting key Summer festivals including Sweden Rock, Download and Dynamo Metal Fest.
MetalTalk have been following the band for a while and K.K. Downing is a fan too. “The band has a youthful freshness and a uniqueness that will no doubt elevate them to being a true Metal favourite of the fans,” he said.
“We are not just worshipping at the altar of those who have gone before,” Tailgunner say, “but determined to stand upon it and be the heroes for a whole new generation! We played over 100 shows touring our debut album, sharing the stages with some of the most legendary names in Metal while paying our dues in blood, sweat, tears and endless nights out on the road.
“Everything we learned is on display here, packed into 10 tracks in what we feel can be a true, essential Tailgunner album.”
Tailgunner release Midnight Blitz on 6 February 2026 via Napalm Records. The album can can be pre-ordered at napalmrecords.com/tailgunner.
Tailgunner – Midnight Blitz Tracklist
1. Midnight Blitz
2. Tears In Rain
3. Follow Me In Death
4. Dead Until Dark
5. Barren Lands And Seas Of Red
6. War In Heaven
7. Blood Sacrifice
8. Night Raids
9. Eye Of The Storm
10. Eulogy
