Top 5: Light/Black
Year-End Top 5
Light/Black
Self-titled
Self-Released
Street: 05.25
Light/Black = True Widow + Chelsea Wolfe x INVDRS
When talking shop over recordings, you sometimes hear of bands “catching lightning in a bottle” with their music. If that analogy rings true, Light/Black didn’t just bottle it, they christened their amps with it. Make no mistake, the way they wrote and structured this album was no accident, nor did they cater to any minor niche group who may not like a certain kind of tone. This is a fucking good, heavy rock album constructed by some of the best musicians SLC has to offer. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear this was made just for themselves, and if you just happen to like it, good for you. Some of the best tracks on the album have to be “One Good Turn Deserves Another” and “Red Desert,” where you’re attacked from all angles by Levi Lebo’s and Danielle Marriott’s riffs and solos. Joshua Asher and his pounding drums—given with such force and fury, you’d swear there’s a pile of broken drumsticks laying at his feet—guide you through songs like “The Company You Keep” and “Skeleton Witch.” Of course, the standout is Carri Wakefield, commanding her bass while her calming vocals soothe you into each track, snaring you in before the full-frontal assault of noise hits you right in the heart. From start to finish, this is an album that just seeps into you. It requires no deep explanation or over-thinking as to why a heavy rock album of this nature works. Simply put: It just sounds great and deserves your undivided attention. –Gavin Sheehan