Posted on: July 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Kiss of Death Records comes out with some interesting bands that are not on the radar in the slightest. Light Yourself on Fire is one of those bands, and it is surprising that the band has not gotten more in the way of press at the time, given its pedigree. Members in Light Yourself on Fire have been in storied bands such as Reversal of Man, Scrog, Brutality and Omega Man. The distortion that starts off “Rickshaw” is the high level to the vocals middle ground and the bass and drums’ low level.

Each part of the band has their own specific part, and this definition allows for a much cleaner sound than if the band bounced all across the spectrum. The singing on “Rickshaw” is guttural, with listeners not having much in the way of an idea what ey is singing, while the guitars call forth earlier metal and hardcore to create the overall ambiance of the track. The only thing that seems to hinder Light Yourself on Fire during that track has to be the repetition that the instrumental compositions have; while it is always nice to have a wicked solo come back to smack you across the head once or twice more during a track, just having the same “journeyman” type of guitar riff does not do anything but put the band in a rut.

However, with the members of Light Yourself On Fire being on all of these other bands, chances are good that being in a rut is only a temporary thing. “960 AM” has a little more in the way of definition for the guitars, but there still seems to be that reliance on similar-sounding structures throughout the entirety of the disc. The band can play music, they can create sick guitar lines and growl with the best of them, but it seems as if there is still something lacking in the crafting of compelling arrangements. The band has been around since 2003, so it may be the fact that the band is gracing its listeners with older tracks, and that further releases will ameliorate this problem. Again, the band is talented, their ability should not be called into question, but throughout the disc’s seven tracks, there seems to be an issue with putting something dynamic that will carry listeners throughout the entirety of the song. Give it a go if you are a Reversal of Man completist.

Top Track: Flux Capacitor

Rating: 4.5/10

Light Yourself On Fire – S/T / 2007 Kiss of Death / 7 Tracks / http://www.lightyourselfonfire.net / http://www.kissofdeathrecords.com / Reviewed 23 April 2007

[JMcQ]

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