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The Lightbringer
Heptanity
Type: CD
Company: Independent
Release: 2017
Genre: Heavy/Extreme
Reviewer: Greg Watson
Published: 3/30/2017
A strange yet intriguing blend of power metal and black metal
Every now and again, I come across an album that is a pest to try and put words to. The Lightbringer's second album, "Heptanity" is no exception. A strong base of power metal accentuated with bursts of black metal vocals and operatic vocals make this one of the toughest tests to date. The mixture seemed patently wrong at first, but Lightbringer does an incredible job marrying the melody of power metal with the coldness and ferocity of black metal. The resulting sound is both impressive and daunting.

The music utilizes crunchy riffs, tasteful orchestration and great songwriting to really pull the album together. Take for example the track "The Fire of Life and Death" as a microcosm of the band's style. The song kicks off with a scathing black metal riff and rasped black metal snarls before morphing over to more traditional power metal with operatic vocals. I don't know how the band pulls this off but they do it admirably and with aplomb.

The harsh rasps coupled with the clean and operatic vocals are mind-bending and sublime. I've never heard anything quite like The Lightbringer but I'm definitely a fan of this band. This isn't your run of the mill heavy metal here folks. Go out and listen to this album, you'll be confused, amazed and a little taken aback but it's well worth it.
About this Writer:
Greg Watson // Greg Watson has been hooked on the loud and heavy sounds since the summer of 1994 when he first heard the opening notes of "Operation: Mindcrime" by Queensryche. Since then his tastes have expanded and grown like the ever evolving heavy metal tree of genres. He has been an active member of Maximum Metal off and on for 10 years. In his spare time, Greg enjoys deciding the fate of his loyal subjects in the realm of Skyrim and secretly playing air keyboard to "Separate Ways" by Journey when no one is watching. He currently resides in Roanoke, VA with his wife and his metal wannabe beagle.

Maximum Metal Rating Legend - Click for Full Details
5 Excellent - Buy it and say a prayer to the metal gods that you were tuned on to this masterpiece. A classic.
4-4.5 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a clunker or a lacking somewhere to keep it from perfection. You won't feel bad about dropping some bones on these.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler. This is the OK range where you'd search for the record on sale or used.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio. Could show skills but be dull overall. Redeeming qualities for indy bands are effort and passion. Majors that don't try or suck outright end up here.
2-2.5 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors. There is much better metal out there.
1-1.5 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible or an otherwise waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.



ALL FULL REVIEWS FOR: THE LIGHTBRINGER
CD
 TITLE BAND
DOR
 REVIEWER DATE
HeptanityThe Lightbringer
2017
Greg Watson3/30/2017


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