Blasting out of the Bay Area, an area already proven to be fertile soil for many a metal band in the past, LIGHT THIS CITY is one young band that doesn’t take its forefathers’ legacies for granted. Tying the speed of the legendary Bay Area thrash titans alongside the extreme sound of European death metal, LIGHT THIS CITY possesses an acutely mature sound and an utterly unparalleled sense of dedication to metal’s earliest roots, not usually found in a band so young. In fact, upon joining the Prosthetic roster in early 2005, LIGHT THIS CITY had to pass the legal paperwork onto their parents; the band’s members were still busy passing their days pushing pencils in high school. With an average age of just 20, the band’s third effort, Facing The Thousand, shows extreme maturity behind their years, but it also shows that the band knows their heavy metal history.
Formed in 2002 around a mutual interested in melodic death metal like At The Gates and Carcass as much as the classic recordings of early thrash giants Megadeth and Testament, the band’s impressive debut The Hero Cycle led to a deal with Prosthetic Records shortly thereafter. Next came 2005’s critically-acclaimed Remains of The Gods, which earned the band a spot on Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles’ best of 2005 list. At the same time, front woman Laura Nichol, one of death metal’s few leading ladies, graced the pages of Revolver as one “The Hottest Chicks In Metal.”
With momentum on its side coupled with the impressive musicianship and high-speed intensity on display on Facing The Thousand, LIGHT THIS CITY has again taken the band’s melody-driven death metal sound to the next level, something it has done for each new album. Featuring a guest appearance by The Black Dahlia Murder front man Trevor Strnad on the track “Fear of Heights,” Facing The Thousand continues to showcase the band’s evolving sound, expanding upon the fast thrash attack of Remains while this time around also showcasing creative and epic song construction that intertwines twin guitar melodies, thrash metal riffs, and Nichol’s ever-expanding and eloquent, yet wholly brutal, vocal repertoire.
Sharpening the band’s road resume playing alongside Darkest Hour, All That Remains, Between The Buried And Me, and Himsa, among others, LIGHT THIS CITY has been privy to notable American metal festivals including Los Angeles Murderfest 2.0, California Metalfest, and the coveted New England Metal & Hardcore Festival in early 2006. With a desire to stay on the road and win over metalheads everywhere, LIGHT THIS CITY has already formulated touring plans well into the next year, including a forthcoming trip to Europe, and the band is showing no signs of letting up. With Facing The Thousand galloping hand-in-hand with an undying road warrior work ethic, you may not have heard of LIGHT THIS CITY yet, but things are about to change.