A Storm of Light

New York City's A Storm of Light have departed somewhat from the post-metal tag that defined their previous releases with fourth full-length Nations to Flames. Composed of Josh Graham (former visual artist for Neurosis) handling vocals, keyboards, guitar and overall concept, Domenic Seita on bass and Billy Graves on drums, A Storm of Light have naturally veered towards looping, repetitive song structures and organic, swaying rhythms. While some of those elements are intact, Nations to Flames is much more aggressive than their previous releases, the melancholic and atmospheric aspects burned away by the mechanical heat of industrial and crushed by the relentless weight of doom. Rather than meditative, the repetition on "Fall" becomes eerily robotic, even post-apocalyptic, while "Apostle of Hatred" is not woeful, but fiercely, almost deliciously damned. While they have always possessed sophistication and finesse, an extra dose of fire and brimstone looks and sounds great on A Storm of Light, making Nations to Flames their best release to date.