Facing the Thousand marks the third full length release for Light this City, the second on Prosthetic Records. I remember my first introduction to Light this City came last year when they released Remains of the Gods and an ad in some music magazine commented that they were for fans of bands like Soilwork. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked as I so often do when finding new music, so it was only the same day I listened to Facing the Thousand that I got to check out their previous disc as well. Anyway, enough preamble, on to the review. The opening, title track takes a long time building up with a minute-long majestic string and drum intro, followed by the same slow melodic idea repeated on guitar for the better part of another minute. But then it's off to the races, first the harmonized guitar riff and then an all-out blastbeat pounding as vocalist Laura Nichols launches into her death growl. Yes, I said "her." Not that you'd ever know it to just to listen to it.
Really, it's obvious that the band is heavily influenced by melodic death metal/the Gothenburg sound. In the a music scene oversaturated with metalcore bands pretty much just ripping off the European metal sound, though, Light This City pay homage to the masters without losing their own voice. Although there aren't any bad songs, there are some that are particularly impressive or fun to listen to; for example, "City of the Snares," which builds up from a harmonized riff to a thrashy verse, and then a pretty insane tremolo-picked, double-bass chorus.
Honestly, I don't know why you're still reading this review. This CD is solid, well-crafted metal, and that's all there is to it. Particularly if you're into bands like Soilwork or Arch Enemy, you need to have Facing the Thousand on your CD rack.
