EP REVIEW: From the Void to Existence – The Lightbringer
Releasing metal music with an accompanying fantasy novel is an incredibly interesting concept, but weirdly enough, it’s nothing new; US symphonic power metallers LORENGUARD did something very similar, releasing their two records alongside books written by their drummer. Nonetheless, it’s a really interesting idea that works exceptionally well with the bombastic sound of power metal, and it’s genuinely bizarre that more bands don’t try and blend music and fantasy in this way. Quebec’s THE LIGHTBRINGER do this with aplomb, combining the more symphonic side of power metal with a dark, black metal edge, releasing two great albums alongside instalments of the Lightbringer Lore series. Their new EP, From the Void to Existence, is a bleakly epic and intoxicating mix of genres that acts as an excellent soundtrack to their sagas latest chapter.
From the Void sets an ethereal tone, with angelic operatic vocals and sublime keyboards building a lush atmosphere, punctuated with acerbic, acidic black metal vocals, providing a sharp contrast with the rest of the music. It’s a great song that sets the tone for the rest of album extremely well. The First Flickers of Thought continues with this theme, with grandiose symphonic flourishes vying with the denser guitars and bellicose singing, managing to balance the two sides of the bands sound quite well, creating a layered, powerful feel. Sparks of Will and The Awakening complement each other well, with the former adding a headier synth sound with much meatier hooks on all fronts, with the guitars, drums and vocals especially injecting plenty of venom into proceedings. The latter track picks up where its predecessor left off, with hypnotic guitars and a steady drum beat giving this an immersive sound, and some weighty gutturals making for a more substantial sound right off the bat.
Desecration of the Void carries forward the captivating sound of the previous two tracks, with a great opening motif that quickly gives way to a doom-laden, monolithic section, counterpointed by glorious female vocals, which once again add a great contrast to the music. The Seal of Annihilation, with its intricate, punishing drumming and duelling vocals, sees the darker and softer aspects of this band’s sound work together simultaneously, to great effect. Enchantment, with its catchier, melodic black metal sound, proves to be one of the records highlights, with imaginative, harmony driven guitars and a great, rhythmic undercurrent, making for a lengthier, but nonetheless punchy, affair that it’s hard not to love.
Crystallization is another stand out offering, with soaring guitars giving this song an airy feel with a slight, caustic edge courtesy of visceral shrieks, with lighter vocals interspersed throughout, resulting in a varied, but heavier, approach. To Existence, the albums longest track, makes full use of its near four minutes to expertly blend the power and black metal influences prevalent in the bands sound together, with fiercer, intense musicianship being complemented by a majestic quality from the keyboards and female vocals, adding a climactic exclamation point that brings the record to a close perfectly.
It’s a lot better to listen to this record as a cohesive whole, rather than listening to a single track in isolation, because the music is, essentially, one large, sprawling piece of music that is broken up into nine short musical offerings to fit with the narrative in the book. Whoever, listening to it on a track by track basis giving this a much more jarring feel, with the music being broken up rather than being allowed to excel as a whole. The music on display here is excellent from start to finish, with some brilliant musicianship on all fronts and a much more polished, slick production quality, and it’s very hard not to get drawn into the music at many points. With From the Void to Existence, THE LIGHTBRINGER have produced their best material to date, something that will hopefully inspire other bands to mix music and fantasy in the magnificent and enthralling way they have.
Rating: 8/10
From The Void To Existence is out now via self-release.
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