Review Summary: Light From Above is the debut album of a band made up of teenagers when it was initially released. This album has a vibe that can really only be described as bonafide 1980’s. However, in the process of emulating their influences, does Black Tide end up
Light From Above is the debut album of a band made up of teenagers when it was initially released. This album has a vibe that can really only be described as bonafide 1980’s. However, in the process of emulating their influences, does Black Tide end up accidentally copying their influences? Or do they use the techniques learned from their influences to craft their own sound and carve out their own space in the world of heavy metal?
Listening to this album, you can feel the passion behind the music being played here. The music will either make you want to bang your head with the devil horns flying high in the air or it will make you feel like you’re coming back to win a fight you’ve been getting your ass kicked in.
The lyrics are nothing special. More often than not they feel like they were written so that the songs wouldn’t be instrumentals. Listening to this album isn’t going to make you sit in silence for 20 minutes after it ends, pondering the universe and your place within it.
Going back to the music, this album’s production is excellent. The overall sound of the distorted guitars is massive and tasty. The acoustic guitars that will pop up every now and then sound good as well. The bass is audible and drums are both fully audible and also sound great.
The guitars are the highlight of this album. If you’re into abundant and wild lead solos that oft harmonize, you will really enjoy this album. The riffs vary between power-chord focused and melodic strings of individual notes. The solos are well-crafted and fit the songs Black Tide has written. They’re not always shred-fests, as solos here also display more focus on holding the notes out. Overall, it is clear that there is a focus on the guitars in this album.
There are no acoustic focused songs on this album.
When acoustic guitars are used, they are used to create moments of serenity in between the bouts of great energy. It helps to create juxtaposition during the listening experience in order to make the following sections really jump out.
The vocals are high pitched than most modern metal, but it’s all singing here; no whining, growling, or screaming. If you know english, you’ll be able to understand most of what is being sang. However, the vocals feel slightly weak compared to the music. This is due to the fact that they blend in more than they stand out.
The bass is audible and will either lock in with the drums or copy the guitar lines. The drums create a good beat behind the wall of guitars. Honestly, the bass and drums don’t do anything to really stand out, but if you want to listen to them you won’t have difficulty.
Conclusion:
Light From Above is an album that can be thought of as a classic metal album created by teenagers. While it is clear who their influences are, it is also clear they didn’t simply rip them off like myriads of other bands have. The songs are unique enough that when you hear them, you will know immediately that this is Black Tide you’re listening to. They sound more like Black Tide on this album more than anyone else. Pushing personal biases aside (My personal rating for this album is a 4: excellent) , I’m giving this album a 3.5, or GREAT.
Why?
While, most of the album is great musically, not all the songs are gold. The cover of Hit The Lights comes off as awkward due to the guitars being too clean in terms of production and the vocals just plain don’t fit. Some of the songs can also feel boring. Additionally, different songs will blend into each other and the vocals and lyrics can definitely come off as immature. Regardless, the songwriting for the most part is excellent, and even if the songs do start to sound a little too similar, if you liked it the first time you heard it hearing something similar won’t bother you in the least. Despite all my criticisms, this is an album I enjoy coming back to for it’s ability to entertain me.
This album is strongly recommended if you love guitar solos, guitar harmonies, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest (their metal albums) or Metallica (Ride the Lightning and Metallica).
Recommended Tracks:
Warriors of Time
Black Abyss
Prowler (Iron Maiden Cover)
