Search - Light This City :: Remains of the Gods

Drifting towards straight death metal

Destroy Boy | www.ohboydestroy.com | 12/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you not familiar with this band they've recently emerged as the most faithful At The

Gates clone in metal thus far. Even though they're Americans they recreated the classic period

Gothenburg melodeath sound absolutely perfectly. But like a double-edge sword, it's both their

strength and weakness as you can't help get that been there, done that feeling when listening to

their records.



This second album finds Light This City expanding on this trademark sound by incorporating

more outside elements than you find in classic period melodeath. One you'll notice right away is

the frequent use of blast beats, almost on every song. This more aggressive approach definitely

adds a more brutal edge to the music but it comes directly at the expense of their previous more

melodic approach. And that's the other big change, the almost complete abandonment of

melodic riffs outside the core Gothenburg style of using them as the main riff. Even when they're

used as the main riff on this album it's so fast it's hard to even tell what's happening.



I can see why they went this route as they were probably tired of the At The Gates comparisons

but now they much more resemble current era death metal bands in sound and structure. That's

not to say they've turned into a totally different band as there's still plenty of great sounding

melodeath here but it's not each and every song like their last record or even the bulk of any given

song. Some fans might like this turn to a more death metal sound but for the fans that felt like At

The Gates had risen again you can't help but feel a pang of disappointment to see this new

approach.



One thing that has not changed in the least is the absolutely stellar production. If anything it's

even better. The guitars are crisp, the drums are punishing and the throat ripping vocals (by a

female!) are perfectly placed in the mix.



On the whole I think Light This City find themselves in an awkward position of not satisfying their

core traditionalist audience but not being hard enough for straight death metal. Hopefully they

stop straddling the fence on their next record so at least one camp can be pleased. I hope it's

mine!



Check out more reviews at ohboydestroy."

Surprise!!!

Brent E. Johnson | Naches, WA | 12/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this up so I could get a discount at the store I bought it at and it had kind of a cool cover. And it turned out to be a very good death metal album that features a female singer. Very nice. Couldn't tell until I read the names inside. This is some pretty refreshing stuff, what with modern metal full of breakdowns and all, this is pretty much straight ahead guitar progression and death metal vocals instead of the usual vocal styles of the day which start to sound alike after awhile. Very talented band. The lyrics are interesting at times two, almost too personal. I hope the songs about child abuse aren't the singers story, but maybe this a cathartic outlet for her. Good release and I recommend it highly."

Light This City...Straight San Francisco Thrash

Knowledgeable DemiGod | Seattle, WA | 08/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan of true metal, metal devoid of its hardcore-influenced breakdowns and simple chord progressions but glorious with assaulting guitar melodies and thrashing brutality, then Light This City is the clear choice.



Their last CD "The Hero Cycle" (which isn't available on Amazon and was independently released) was definitely a savage album. If you can, pick it up...fans of "Remains of the Gods" will appreciate the band a lot more if they can see the transformation they underwent for the new album. Instrumentation is much tighter, and Laura's voice is unleashed.



But even if you haven't heard 2003's "The Hero Cycle," this Prosthetic release will show anybody how metal is done. New metal pretty much sucks...bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Shadows Fall, etc are a disgrace. Hardcore-influenced metal bands (metalcore) come a dime a dozen and are, quite frankly, pretty awful.



But there are a few gems in the metal world today...Darkest Hour (though "Undoing Ruin" was a step down from "Hidden Hands of A Sadist Nation"), The Black Dahlia Murder, Conducting From The Grave...bands who approach thrash as it should be done. Add Light This City to the list.



I won't go into the specifics, but pretty much every song (aside from "The Hunt") is a thrill ride straight through. The kid who writes these songs knows guitar melodies and can transition flawlessly between them, the drummer can handle his dual-bass with ease, and the female vocalist is both beautiful and blessed with a growl that could bring one to tears. This CD is one of the most listenable so far of 2005, and should definitely be owned. Next time they come through your town, Light This City are not a show to be missed...anyone at the 58 Tehama St. show will know!



Long live thrash metal.... long live Light This City."