Richard HolmesTower – Let There Be Dark (Cruz Del Sur Music)
New York’s Tower always showed promise… and there were plenty of signs the band were stepping up on 2021’s impressive sophomore effort, Shock To The System.
But Let There Be Dark eclipses its predecessors.
Tower are now built from gleaming steel. The hard rock touches found on earlier efforts have crumbled away. From its foundations upwards, this album is pure heavy metal.
That stylistic evolution would count for nought, should they not have the songs and delivery to match. Thankfully, Tower combine graceful writing with some stratospheric performances, especially from singer Sarabeth Linden: dramatic, distinctive and immensely powerful, she soars over the Maiden-esque Holy Water and reaches new emotional depths on And I Cry.
Perhaps the quintet’s collaboration with producer Arthur Rizk – guitarist with Eternal Champion and Sumerlands – has been the magic ingredient. If you want to make your album more metallic, a guy who’s worked with King Diamond and Blood Incantation ain’t a bad place to start. Certainly, something has strengthened Tower. James Danzo and Zak Penley’s dazzling fretwork simply slices through every track, while Linden’s voice feels richer and even more graceful.
Throughout Let There Be Dark, there’s no let-up on quality.
Need some ripping NWOBHM in your life? The galloping title track – akin to Newcastle veterans Satan with gang vocals – could be the answer. Something subtler, for when the dusk starts to fall? The evocative Don’t You Say is goosebump territory. And closing this set with The Hammer is a masterstroke. It’s Tower’s tour de force, a demonstration of dexterity and daring, a near seven minutes of anthemic beauty.
New heights…
It’s already turning into a fine year for traditional heavy metal.
Seven Sisters are shining. Nite are baring their fangs. Sanhedrin are crackling with Heat Lightning.
And now, it’s Tower’s turn to rise.
