When Kill The Lights emerged on the metal scene, there was a lot of promise and potential and they lived up to it with every song on their debut record- The Sinner. The problem was it came out during the height of the COVID pandemic so a lot of fans might have missed it.
The band is back with their follow-up album- Death Melodies and they’ve kept everything that worked on its predecessor but amped it all up to the max and then some.
The choruses are catchier, the hooks and riffs are heavier, the softer parts are more beautiful and the overall feel is just bigger.
With Death Melodies, Kill The Lights are laser-focused to reach out, grab you and pull you in and that’s exactly what they do here. Songs like “Hear You Scream” and “Die Alone” are quick-hitting knockout punches that are easy to fall in love with.
“The Bleeding” meshes both sweet melodies with sheer aggression while “Scapegoat” is pure guitar-shredding bliss. “Wasting Away” and “Man Without a Face” are tailor-made for the live stage and festival circuit and should make their way into the setlist pretty quickly.
On the soft side, “Sleep With the Devil” is both hypnotic and soothing, almost haunting and will live with you long after it’s done.
In the end, Kill The Lights have gotten heavier and more aggressive but don’t take it too far with Death Melodies. They have found a way to do this but also not alienate the fans who loved the softer material of The Sinner. They’ve completely raised the bar and set themselves up for an album cycle that will put them at the top of the metal ranks.
Rating: 9/10
-Reggie Edwards