Assembly of Light

The Assembly of Light are a secular choral project that feature over two dozen all-female members, based in Providence, RI, and founded by vocalist Chrissy Wholpert. The choir first began operating in the realm of heavy music when they made an appearance on the Body's 2010 album, All The Waters of Earth Turn To Blood. Now, on the choir's self-titled full-length, their former collaborators return to add churning dirge and drone elements, as well as Chip King's otherworldly screams, to offset their ethereal harmonies. Members of Daughters, Braveyoung and others also make guest appearances, in the form of vocal and instrumental performances, but there's never any question that the focus of the album is the eerie, intertwined and ever-shifting vocals. The voices weave together, ranging in intensity from shivering and tentative to astoundingly powerful. The three-part "Into the Woods" is an album highlight, the voices unaccompanied across the three tracks, probing and looping, soaring and caressing each other, from sublime harmony into discord and back again. It's a completely different kind of heavy music expression, but for those with interests that tend to veer towards the challenging and experimental, Assembly of Light is a bright, challenging and refreshing offering.