It can be difficult to assign one specific genre to a band nowadays as there are so many subgenres, but Light The Fire have decided to make it easier for potential listeners, describing themselves as “Post-Hardcore Southern Techno Metalcore Djent”. Although this may sound overwhelming, the Dallas-based quintet are slowly but surely building up a steady fan base, mainly due to their busy touring schedule.
Opening track ‘#idoitfortheratchets’ should make the listener instantly intrigued; however, it does quite the opposite. The generic metalcore riffs drown out the screaming vocals, making it almost impossible to hear what vocalist Jeff Gunter is actually talking about. The electronic/synth addition makes the track sound almost disorganised, which would not appeal to most diehard metal music fans.
After such an underwhelming start, Lost At Sea (Standby) manages to pick up the pace around track number three, entitled ‘Frienemy’. The heavy riffs and harsh screaming vocals merge seamlessly, and it is difficult to understand why they did not choose to open the album with a stronger track, such as this one. The energetic music is almost contagious, and it would be interesting to see how Light The Fire would perform at a live show.
It is hard to describe this album as anything other than hit and miss. Some of the tracks are full of life and energy, making you want to hear more from Light The Fire, however, other sounds sound like a disorganised electronic mess. It is difficult to understand why ‘electronic metalcore’ seems to be so popular recently; however, if you are a fan of experimental music Light The Fire may be right up your street.
5.0/10
JULIA CONOPO