Album Review: Light The Fire – Ascension

Tyler H. September 8, 2016 193 Comments 255 views 0 likes

Ascension, defined as the act of rising to an important position or higher level. That is exactly what Dallas, TX based electronic post hardcore outfit, Light The Fire achieves with their sophomore release Ascension. While many outfits take a stab at blending electronic and metal, very few see success as intermixing the two styles together and creating a sound that isn’t jumbled requires a very intricate and detailed writing process. It requires the perfect balancing act between the foundations sound, typically the metal aspect, while the electronic side has to fit into the music and not feel layered on top, otherwise it comes across disjointed and directionless. Thankfully, Light The Fire have no such problem with this as their sophomore release is a combination of gritty breakdowns, crooning choruses and intense, yet balanced and blended electronic music.

[tw-toggle title=”About Light The Fire”]
Genre: Post Hardcore | Electronic
Label: Standby Records
Release: September 9, 2016
Connect: Facebook | Twitter
Purchase: iTunes | Google Play
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Harping on the biggest highlight of what Light The Fire do with their sound further, the balance between hard hitting metalcore, synths and huge choruses put the listener on notice right away. The electronics are often woven in throughout without ever taking the focus away from the vocals or chorus. Tracks like “Entity” and “Not The Only One” are more pop influenced with infectious choruses, catchy synths and more rock based riffs. “Real Recognizes Real” see’s the band delve into their heavier roots with the song starting out with a bone crushing breakdown while transitioning seamlessly into yet another catchy chorus.

Light The Fire – Not the Only One (lyric video)

Pre-order the new album now Digitally:: http://tinyurl.com/jt7fsoh Physical: http://merchnow.com/catalogs/light-the-fire

If there were to be any complaints about the album it would be its run-time. The album contains 10 tracks with “N.P.W.F.” and “Ind Inc” both being a electronic set pieces; one opening the album and another acting as a transitional interlude. While they do serve a slight purpose, there’s fully realized material that could’ve easily slid into these spots instead, adding more length and replayability to the overall record. As it stands, the album seems to zip by and before you realize it, the album is over, which is unfortunate in this case as it’ll leave listeners wanting more, feeling a bit slighted and undoubtedly hurting the records lasting appeal. None of this is enough to bring down the album down significantly though as there aren’t any huge misses throughout the record and each track brings enough of it’s own level of uniqueness to stand apart from one another.

Light The Fire prominently display a tighter and more cohesive sound with their sophomore release, showing that there is no slump to be found. Not only will Ascension please old fans, their innate ability to seamlessly mesh electronics with hard hitting metalcore should ultimately draw in new fans from both genres. It’s rare to find a true standout band in the electronic post hardcore realm anymore as the “fad” has slowly passed and what’s old is now becoming new again, leading to Light The Fire not only being one of the few remaining outfits to weave the two musical worlds together, but continuing to be one of the leading outfits in the genre.