Spark Lights The Friction

Possibly the only band on the Trustkill roster that (as of yet) could take a legitimate crack at mainstream appeal, Spark Lights the Friction release their first full-length after issuing last year's excellent, yet horribly titled, Cocaine Honeymoon EP on Hex Records. Shedding much, but not all, of the metal leanings that graced Cocaine Honeymoon, and refining both their songwriting and playing abilities into a more streamlined and seamless synthesis, Spark Lights the Friction are left with the distilled elements of emo, the always popular posts (punk, rock and hardcore) and even straight-up melodic pop rock. However, while SLTF continue with their trend of bizarre (horrible?) album titles, their potent distillation of melodic influences cut with hardcore and metallic aggression is unquestionably excellent. Album highlights "Snake Charmer" and "Inverse Achilles" possess an aggression and energy matched by their layered melodies and post-hardcore guitar noise, while "Hail of Bullets" brings the abrasion in a vintage Helmet sense; "Hearts and Cannons" is reminiscent of Snapcase battling Quicksand and "Dream Apnea" recalls Smashing Pumpkin's "Cherub Rock," with its melodic, building intro. Owing large debts to both the post-punk DC scene, the prototypical post-hardcore unit Quicksand and the melody and emotion, if not the sappiness, of emo rock, Spark Lights the Friction have the ability and music to reign supreme in the realm of melodic aggression.