He simply has one of the most powerful and emotive voices in metal, and has since he worked to create some of Killswitch Engage’s most enduring albums and anthems almost two decades ago. But Jones was always someone who seemed to yearn to show his diverse range and tastes, and his Light the Torch project (which evolved from the now defunct Devil You Know) has been both an excellent return to classic vocal form and a potent emotional outlet for his deeply personal lyricism. On the band’s new sophomore release, You Will Be The Death of Me, Jones has self proclaimed this to be one of his most personal writing endeavours yet. What lies inside is indeed an often heart-wrenching and extremely well composed group of songs that don’t always hit mark, but more than not land sonic and lyrical blow after blow.
The first aspect noticed is how great this record sounds. Every instrument is crisp and at the forefront in almost perfect equilibrium. The drums snap, the bass thunders, and the guitar gleams all at once, with one element never drowning out the others. This, mixed with Jones’ standard of excellence on vocals, creates a very pleasing listening experience front to back.
You Will Be The Death Of Me starts excellently. The whole first third of the record is full of well written songs, both melodically and lyrically. “More Than Dreaming” crashes to live full of emotion and power in the vocals, and it is immediately apparent just how inseparable Jones’ voice is from his projects and just how much it elevates everything around it. Which is great because everything around it is already very good. The hook punches hard and hooks right away, and the electronic elements, which permeate the entire album, add great depth and texture. The guitar tone, courtesy of Francesco Artusato formerly of All Shall Perish, has a classic metalcore tone that shines through in the solo.
‘Let Me Fall Apart’ again jumps right in with a commanding vocal, which punctuates the song with the first of Jones’ harsh vocals. It adds just the right flavor for this song, which features a nice guitar breakdown in the bridge and some excellent harmonies. “End of the World” turns the chunk factor way up on the guitar and bass, and there’s what sounds like an arpeggiating organ in the background, which adds an eerie feel to the song. This is pulsing, riff centric track that features those classic Howard Jones background megaphone vocals. More harsh punctuations and a drum line that is really humming rounds out this very good track. Finally, ‘Wilting In the Light’ is one of the standouts of the record, with it’s absolute earworm of a riff and slow building intro that crashes right into bombast. This is the most soaring, huge and hooky chorus on the record, and they just absolutely pound with desperation and emotion. Jones sounds like a man at the end of his rope on this one, which fits his description of his writing process.
The album takes a slight dip with ‘Death of Me’ and ‘Living With A Ghost.’ The melodies and hooks don’t stand out as much on these tracks which brings down the momentum when compared to the start of the record, but the talent on display consistently keeps this tracks as solidly good, and never straying into less than that. There are swelling synths and the two tracks rank among the heaviest on the record, especially the latter. There is some absolutely huge bass on the latter track as well during the breakdown/bridge and some absolutely massive screams from Jones on both tracks, but again, melodically they just don’t pop as much.
But the pace kicks right back in with another excellent run of tracks. ‘Become the Martyr’ is a really moody piece that pulses with electronics and features an emotional and potent hook. There’s a soft tension to this track that highlights the dynamics the band can pull off. “Something Deep Inside” is a straight ahead rocker, with a ripping riff that dominates the track and is the star attraction. The flashing electronics and bright, shining solo absolutely snarls and rides that perfect sweet spot of tone. ‘I Hate Myself’ is just as emotionally devastating as the title suggests. It pulls on the heartstrings with a stellar vocal melody, and the song continues to highlight the crispness of the instruments. No one can be sure who hurt Jones on this track, but boy his lyrics cut to the bone. His manic anger just explodes in the bridge and there’s a heavy weight and gravitas to this track that makes it another big highlight on the record.
Unfortunately the record doesn’t end quite as well as one would hope. There’s no doubt these tracks are still solid from the talent at work, but once again, the melodies don’t stick nearly as much as tracks that have come before. ‘Denying the Sin’ has a very Soilwork esque riff, and some neat deep talking vocals, but the chorus is short and abrupt with not much to grasp onto. ‘Come Back to the Quicksand’ feels middling as well. There’s no real “oomph” factor to it, but there is a thundering bass before the solo which stands out once again. Finally, there’s a very interesting cover of Terence Trent D’Arby’s ‘Sign Your Name.’ It doesn’t really work in the context of the record, but the creative chance the band is executing with its dance-y vibe full of synths is admirable and the effort of re-interpretation is certainly worth applauding on its own merit.
Though there are certainly some moments that don’t jump as high, don’t be fooled. This is a great album full of very talented musicians and one of the best vocalists to ever do it. That alone elevates every song to a very solid level, and the many tracks on this record that do stand out are emotional, gut wrenching and pulse pounding tracks that stick like gorilla glue. They’re showcases of great songcraft, with none overstaying their welcome and all sounding perfectly mixed and balanced. Howard Jones can add another batch of signature heart rending and memorable tracks to his repertoire, and if this record is any indication, despite its few flaws, there’s no sign of slowing down for Light The Torch.