Nights Like These

Sunlight At Secondhand

BY Dave SynyardPublished Nov 21, 2007

On any given night, there are two sides to everything. Incorporating an unconventional melodic take on what could be construed as death metal, and isn’t that far removed from metalcore, Nights Like These have brooded Sunlight at Secondhand. If the cover art isn’t an obvious implication of a yin and yang concept, I’m not sure what else it could convey. Well, maybe it might show the influences of psychedelia, as it drips LSD visuals and blots through into their guitar work. Acid guitar tones are never too far from fear and loathing during "Claw Your Way Out,” which is in keeping with the modest pace of the first half of Sunlight at Secondhand. Staving off a high-paced tempo, adding a churning, sludge-like feel, muted guitars and catacomb bass gives "Bay of Pigs” a coffin-esque depth that only finds relief when spacious reverberating guitar tones enter during the bridge. What really makes this album impressive is how seamlessly NTL transition into death metal haste action during "Empty Lungs,” as if they only need flick a switch. On a night like this anything could be good or bad, left or right, up or down, wrong or right. But in the case of Sunlight At Second, it is so very right.
(Victory)

Latest Coverage