In a banner year for metalcore, the more, the merrier. Solid State Records has given us Azusa, Earth Groans, Silent Planet re-issues… it’s an all-around good time with this label in 2020. They look to expand upon it with Lightworker, releasing their debut album Fury By Failure this Friday.
Beginning with “Empyre”, Lightworker establishes their gravitas in crafting a memorable melodic metalcore sound, reminiscent of Darkness Divided and Phinehas. Stacked to the brim with triplet-chugs and vast clean vocals, this makes for a well-rounded sound. “The Willing Martyr” continues the guitar riffage in both the verse/chorus before a masterful guitar solo.
The more melodic side of Lightworker comes out in “10/18” as the clean vocals bring me back to the days of Killswitch Engage/Bullet For My Valentine in this sentimental piece. Back into blistering territory comes “See the World Like You,” with a quality breakdown and soft bridge added to the mix.
“Worlds Dissolve” gets some more succinct riffs layered on top of each other, while the vocals span a wide range from explosive to raucous. “Losing Ground” goes for the catchy chorus that’s bound to stick in a lot of listener’s heads and will catch them off-guard with the vocal feature.
Another feature is present in single “Cholera”: Laura McElroy of Comrades. This is a highlight moment of Fury By Failure, creating the best outro on the album and showing how impressive Lightworker can sound on their first full outing. Heaviness ensues again in “Remove the Earth,” featuring a nice back-and-forth of clean and unclean vocals in the pre-chorus. The usage of gang vocals and the best breakdown on the album make the back half of the album just as impactful as the front half.
“Beyond the Pale” continues the intensity with no shortage of strong hooks and solos as the penultimate track. Fury By Failure finishes up with the six-minute “Dissonance,” another magnificent combination of harmony and metalcore in a long song that never overstays its welcome.
Lightworker have a lot to be proud of with their debut record Fury By Failure. While there’s some clear-cut inspiration from other bands, there’s enough innovation afoot to spark their own sound in the metalcore climate. Expect to see Lightworker on the bill with plenty of relevant bands, and know that they’ll be worth getting there early for.
A press copy of Fury By Failure was provided by Atom Splitter PR.
