Midnight Eternal is a symphonic metal band based out of New Jersey. It was formed in 2014 when Boris Zaks and Richard Fischer invited Daniel Prestup and Mike LePond to join them in recording a two-song demo. During the recording, the band acquired the talents of vocalist Raine Hilai and the planned demo quickly evolved into the formation of a full-time band when Greg Manning was asked to join as a full-time replacement for Mike LePond. They have toured nationally and internationally with Queensryche, Armored Saint and Therion. 

The following message was posted to the band’s official Facebook page this morning:

“Since our fans have been asking for information regarding the future of Midnight Eternal, we feel it is our responsibility to set the record straight.”

Greg Manning: “Boris requested a conference call with me while Raine was out of the country visiting family. He, Dan and Rich expressed their unhappiness with her performance on our demo recordings for the second album, stated that her voice is no longer “right for the music” and that they wanted to hire a new singer. I suggested that we all speak when Raine returned and work together to improve the demos, but they were adamant that they had made their decision. They asked me if I would still be willing to remain in the band without Raine and I refused. I requested that we all have a face-to-face conversation with Raine when she returned to try and resolve the problem, however, due to “scheduling conflicts” they were unwilling to do so and decided instead to completely sever all contact with us. By doing so, they were treating Raine and myself as expendable commodities instead of equal members with equal rights in the band.”

Raine Hilai: “I was shocked and surprised when Greg told me of what had occurred, as the other members of the band had expressed nothing but satisfaction over the demos at this point. I was more than willing to keep working until everyone was satisfied, but the other members of the band refused to even take my calls. The point of contention at the moment is that Boris, Rich and Dan believe that they have the right to replace us - without a written separation agreement and without any discussion or negotiation regarding compensation or the rights to the band's intellectual property or social media. I would also like to address the false rumor that has been spreading regarding my alleged “hacking” of the band’s Facebook page. Over the last 5 years, I have handled the business of the band as well as our social media (including this official band page). When Boris requested that I relinquish my administrator rights, we once again requested a face-to-face meeting, which they refused to even acknowledge. We took control of the band's online platforms because it was the only way we could think of to assert our rights as members. Greg and I have both invested time and money into this project and our contributions, both physical and financial, have brought the band to the place it is today professionally. All five of us have always worked as a team to contribute to the band. It is wrong to try and simply push us out and take control of the work we have done.”

“We would like to sincerely thank our fans for their outpouring of support. We are sorry to have to announce this. Unfortunately, none of this was our decision. We are still hoping that this can all end in a peaceful resolution. Please look for additional statements coming soon.”

Raine and Greg

(Photo credit: Christopher Sundquist)