Spotlights is one of those artists that we love the shit out of but whenever it comes time to review one of their records, something else comes up, time runs out, and bupkis from us. But no more! Come hell or highwater, we’re going to deliver a review of a new Spotlights release in a timely manner and with Alchemy For The Dead, it looks like we picked a good one for us to finally put some words out about (Honestly, though, they’re all “good ones” and then some).
“Beyond The Broken Sky” is a statement of intent with a welcoming hum, a repeated melody that tantalizes the earholes, and soothing vox from Mario Quintero before his guitars collide with Chris Enriquez’s drums and Sarah Quinetro’s bass to form such a powerful wave of noise that washes over listeners and bathes them in the joyous new sounds from Spotlights. “The Alchemist” has elements of Trip-Hop early on with Quintero’s voice like a mix of the vocalists from Codeseven and Constants leading to a sort of cathartic crushing with “Sunset Burial” dreamily spilling out of the aftermath.
“Algorithmic” is a fuzzy delight with a little bit of a Failure feel and then some sexy tenor sax from Ben Opie permeates the seemingly impenetrable rumble of “False Gods” and its’ rollicking low end from Sarah Quintero. “Repeat The Silence” starts amidst a droning hypnotic rhythmic refrain and grows into this unstoppable force with some stellar guitar tones and killer vocal harmonies from both Sarah and Mario Quinetro which continues to climb, seemingly endlessly headed for its’ peak, backed by a Pelican-like wall of sound.
“Ballad In The Mirror” is a start/stop symphony of Art Rawk, “Crawling Toward The Light” is a sprawling monster Mammer Jammer that gets more intense the deeper you dive into it, and the title track starts off all acoustic-like… but we’re not falling for it!! And the almost 7-minute track does indeed get bigger but ever so slightly, finishing their latest with a bombast that’s as booming as it is beautiful.
Alchemy For The Dead arrives on April 28th through Ipecac Recordings. You can pre-order yours in a variety of formats now by heading here. For the latest from Spotlights, including info on their upcoming headlining run, follow them across their socials by clicking here, here, or here.