ALBUM REVIEW: The Light Age – Many Eyes
It is impossible to talk about this record without mentioning the circumstances of the band’s birth. Formed after the acrimonious end of the legendary EVERY TIME I DIE, MANY EYES exists as a counterpoint to BETTER LOVERS. This is the band that Keith Buckley, one of the greatest frontman and lyrical geniuses of modern music, went onto form in the aftermath of the break-up. Even if this was a band created out of different situations, Buckley‘s distinctive voice and grasp of melody makes the project intrinsically tied to his previous work and because of that, it’s against those works that he is judged. Debut album The Light Age is not the work of a chaotic southern fried hardcore band however; it is a grungier, more accessible affair that relies more on the sound and melodies of Mr Buckley than anything else.
It has to be said that the first tracks from The Light Age didn’t do much to garner excitement. They were good, yes, but much more was expected. The hardcore influences were there amongst moments of 90s alt-rock worship but it all seemed a tad pedestrian. Still, Buckley shone through, his lyrics still as metaphorically dazzling and imbued with his ever-present passion. Tumultuous line-up switches just before the album’s announcement did little to keep fans on board and the cynicism began to set in, and thus this record ended up with a lot more pressure on its shoulders than it turns out it could handle.
Opener Revelation is simply anything but. Sitting awkwardly between an attempt to be hardcore punk and driving metal, its chorus will make you grimace in disappointment. The verses are a lot better, stomping along, but you would expect the first track to plant its flag, to announce itself in a big way, yet it sounds like one of the better tracks on a Sirius XM drivetime show. This trend continues with Future Proof, one of the record’s singles. A track that you’ll find in the dictionary next to the word “Safe”, it’s at this point you begin to wonder if this is all some elaborate trick and the voice you’re hearing is just a very good Buckley impersonator.
A few songs pick up the pace and inject some of the singer’s former band into things, but they just feel like B-sides to a bigger picture. There’s nothing much to say about the other musicians either, other than they put in a solid performance. It’s track three, Mystic Chord before you get anything remotely resembling the Buckley of old, with the repeated bellowing hook “And I will not put dirt on a mass grave / You will not be punished, so you will not be saved” evoking a smile, if only one wracked with nostalgic tears. Sadly, this spike of momentum is abruptly hammered deep into the earth as Third comes on. Sounding like something that Gen Z kids will dub over the more emotional moments of the new Sonic movies, it’s a sub post-Minutes To Midnight LINKIN PARK ballad.
This is a confused album. It does not know what it wants to be, from the octane-core gutturals on Harbinger to the awkward closing ballad of The Rainbow which at least has the decency not to go on for more than four-and-a-half minutes. This is essentially Keith and the Buckleys and if it were a record by any other band, perhaps it would be looked upon by this writer less harshly. However, if you’ve set high standards across your career, be prepared to be judged by them. Unlike BETTER LOVERS, which feels much more like a natural collaboration of musicians with unique, differing voices and takes on music, this feels forced. Let’s hope it’s just something that Buckley has to get out his system, a bump in the road of an otherwise glittering career.
Rating: 4/10
The Light Age is set for release on September 6th via Perseverance Music Group.
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