Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
The UK’s League of Lights is a Melodic Rock super group with a 80s pop rock influence. The self-titled debut showcases the outfit’s strong penchant for writing memorable songs with a positive, uplifting message in the lyrical department. League of Lights are fronted by Farrah West and Threshold keyboardist Richard West, they are joined by Within Temptation guitarist Ruud Jolie, ex-Fates Warning drummer Mark Zonder and bassist, with musicians this good how can you go wrong? From the excellent opening track “I’m Alive”, it is apparent that League of Lights offers something a little bit different than a lot of today’s female fronted metal bands; they are more hard rock than metal. The music features a lot of keyboards, which is a dirty word to some people, but on their debut League of Lights use them in a way to create atmosphere within the music, similar to a lot of progressive rock bands. Throughout the 41-minute disc, League of Lights utilize seriously rich harmonies that really makes the songs memorable, a perfect example of this is the second track “Cover Me Now”. Lead singer Farrah West adds a strong, likeable vocal style to the songs. “Last Sunset” is a nice piano rich, orchestral ballad. This actually became my favorite track, thanks to its great heartfelt melody. Among the 10-songs, other highlights include: “Half Light”, “Ambertown”, “Don’t Leave Me Behind” and “Heaven Sent a Star”. I will admit, that when I first heard ‘80s pop influence’, I thought ‘uh-oh’, but from the first song, League of Lights had me. The songs carry a great deal of substance, stellar musicianship and Farrah West’s impressive vocals. Sure, it’s not strictly a metal album, but who cares, good music is good music and League of Lights has delivered a fine debut.
Rating – 81/100
Tracklist
- I’m Alive
- Cover Me Now
- Last Sunset
- Half Light
- Ambertown
- You Light My Way
- Don’t Leave Me Behind
- Anime
- Cool of the Day
- Heaven Sent a Star
Line Up
- Farrah West – Vocals
- Ruud Jolie – Guitars
- Richard West – Keyboards
- Jerry Meehan – Bass
- Mark Zonder – Drums
Links
MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site