Desert Psychlist was reminded of these lyrics while listening to the subject of this review, "News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in, News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying, Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying". These lyrics may have been lifted from David Bowie's song "Five Years" but in the context of New York's A Storm of Light's new album "Anthroscene" they do have a tenuous poignancy, not only is the bands latest release a conceptual collection of songs dealing in the same scenario of Earth's population slowly falling towards an inevitable mass extinction but it is also five years since A Storm of Light released their last album.
"Anthroscene" begins its journey with "Prime Time" a song that begins life seemingly serene and tranquil with gentle keyboard colouring and effects intermittently fractured by crunching, fuzz drenched, palm muted guitars. Slowly the song builds in momentum with the drums and bass laying down a solid foundation of groove decorated with lyrics telling of "suits counting their money" and a country with "no stars to wave" Powerful, angry, truthful and atmospheric "Prime Time" is the perfect opener for an album that never once pulls its punches. Throughout "Anthroscene" A Storm of Light never allow the intensity of their message or their music to waver as they hurtle through songs with titles like "Blackout", "Life Will Be Violent" and "Slow Motion Apocalypse", the furiosity and frustration conveyed in each songs subject matter coming across as an almost tangible commodity that you can hear, feel and even touch. This is exactly what A Storm of Light set out with "Anthroscene" to do, to show you the truth and open your eyes to what is happening in your own backyards no matter whether those backyards are in the urban streets of the USA, the temperate pastures of Europe, the war/poverty ravaged regions of the Middle East or the politically unstable countries of South America and Africa. A Storm of Light tell us of an end coming, not one led by a horned fallen angel but one led by those wearing Armani and Prada, those in shopping mall fashions and those in charity shop hand me downs, in other words all of us, blind to the fact we leading our very own parade to oblivion and extinction.
"Anthroscene" documents a planet falling into chaos and disrepair, a planet tearing itself apart with greed, social and political unrest and the life choices of the very people populating its surface. A Storm Of Light's dystopian vision is not pretty, it does not have a happy ending but by god it is powerful!
Check it out ….
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