I love movie soundtracks, some of my favourites are ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and ‘The Fountain’ by Clint Mansell. Another would be the score Nick Cave and Warren Ellis did for Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. The intro of the track ‘Beautiful Is This Burden’ on the opening of this album fits somewhere in between those soundtracks. Here too we have that ashen landscape, this time inspired by grim biblical passages of Lucifer and religion. The narrative of Light Bearer’s releases so far are based on this, as well as Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy ‘His Dark Materials’. Now don’t be alarmed, this isn’t evangelism, far from it. The band view religion as the ‘bane of humanity‘. It’s more like an exploration and rethinking of an ideology/religion. Yes I know some will find this all very pretentious. But give me deep thinking over any shopworn lyrics which have lost any original meaning.
In true independency ‘Silver Tongue’ came out yesterday (eight of February) as a free download and will be released on vinyl also by Halo of Flies Releases. Who are the best label to release something like this. As they like Light Bearer are not stuck in any one strict heavy music genre, but open to everything. What I mean by that is there is no formulaic style to the songs on this album. But to try to give an idea of where they are coming from I’d draw comparisons to unconventional post metal/hardcore bands like Isis, Red Sparowes or Amenra. The two years of development of ‘Silver Tongue’ has brought interrelated and interwoven changes which seamlessly merge with it’s narrative. Would it be OK to use a word like ‘beautiful’ with such aggressive heavy music?
With a personality and style well and truly all their own. The cello goes very deep on ‘Matriarch’, a dark slow passage accompanied by very sorrowful singing. Which leads into a crow like vocal sound on the opening of ‘Clarus’, but switches to a church like hymn. These passages lead nicely into a more confrontational ‘Aggressor & Usurper’ which has a real decent ascent and descent throughout. Like an orchestral piece this song has changes which go from a macabre sounding piano and violin. Then to real all out frenzied coarse type hardcore.
The final track ‘Silver Tongue’ starts in a completely different manner. It could even be radio friendly in the very beginning. But like a symphony it has changes from a very layered slow pulsating heavy hardcore rhythm to an ambiance with orchestral like percussion. Light Bearer have now set a high standard other bands will have to struggle to match.
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