Review Summary: Take a seat Arch Enemy, any seat, let Light This City take over from here. This is how melodic death metal is done.
When Light This City announced they were coming back to the fields of metal with a new release after a ten year hiatus I shrieked like the little fanboy that I am. Facing The Thousand was a heavily played album in my high school years and I was beyond excited for some new material. And so when they released A Grotesque Reflection I gave it a spin as soon as I heard about it. Everything you loved about Light This City's previous material can be found in this supercharged melodic death metal track. Blasting drums, anthemic chugging and Laura's rabid vocals create a battering ram of a statement that shows that Light This City still have plenty left in the tank. Take a seat Arch Enemy, any seat, let Light This City take over from here. This is how melodic death metal is done.
Terminal Bloom, the first release since 2008's Stormchaser, is a blistering Electabuzz thunderpunch to the nose, throat, kidney and balls. Featuring as strong of a sense for aggression and melody as ever, the crew rip through ten infectious bangers with a few acoustic sections thrown in for good measure. Laura's vocals are as on point as ever, ferociously leading the band's charge into the gates of hell. Steve and Ryan's guitar work is beyond spectacular as their assortment of riffs, harmonies and solos fuel the band's musical fire. Jon and Ben's rhythm work coalesces well with Laura, Steve and Ryan's contributions but that's to be expected from a crew who's been slaughtering eardrums and breaking necks together since at least 2007. The band's energy and inspiration is evident from the opener Reality in Disarray and it carries all the way through to the closer Wildheart.
While not technically available until the 25th, the band released a stream for Terminal Bloom today and seeing how it was my off day, I had the down time and the tequila to make it happen. Everybody who loves melodic death metal and Light This City need to spin this asap. It's a monster from start to finish.
