ALBUM REVIEW: Tower – Let There Be Dark

New York Heavy Metal powerhouse Tower are back with their third album! Out via Cruz Del Sur Music on March 21st.

Glacial guitars and drums build in with energy and melody in equal measure. Soaring leads and rocking rhythm sections meet in true Heavy Metal harmony, punching right in with a strong and enthused opening song that is also a wonderful showcase of haunting, powerful vocals punching through the mix. The band’s previous record was one I really adored and I am really happy to hear them playing with as much passion and strength as before. There is a straightforwardness to the openings of this record that make it go straight for the jugular with simply enjoyable material that should appeal to all rockers and headbangers. In the riffing and soloing there is a great balance of axe skills while the drums and bass keep the drive pounding at all times. Mixing soaring and chilling vocals, there is a huge amount of dynamics in Sarabeth’s singing. It seems the band have changed a little when it comes to the atmosphere, focusing on a more fantastical feeling this time compared to the razor-sharp steel of its predecessor. The playing is still just as strong, but the overall sound feels a little tamer. All the same, the start of this record certainly has me in for the long haul.

In terms of composition, the songs have a really cool flow to them that keeps your adrenaline pumping while giving us a bit of emotion too. There is definitely a contagious drive to these songs which has that primal energy you simply cannot help but move to. Tower clearly have a masterful ability at writing hooks and giving them personality by the bucketful. Their sound doesn’t feel like a carbon copy of some 80s legend that they’re trying ape either; which is commendable too. Perhaps we see a bit less variety than before, something the band seems to have intended with this being a darker, heavier and more straight-up metallic sounding album. Either way, whatever this band does, it feels like they do it with passion, conviction and a result that is always worth hearing. Furthermore, it definitely shows a growth, having been touring quite actively, wherein a band moves forward with their goals rather than rehashing what we have already heard. I really appreciate that about this album, it feels like totally new Tower material from front to back.

The further we get to the climax of “Let There Be Dark”, the more it snowballs this cinematic sort of feeling which takes its leather-clad Heavy Metal spirit and propels into these epic and adventurous songs. Running order is an often overlooked but essential part of releasing an album and I think Tower have always been far better than many other bands with ensuring theirs run smoothly with the maximum amount of impact and dynamics possible. This results in a very exciting listen that you are drawn back to. Whether they are breaking down the doors with speeding battering rams or chilling you to the core with ethereal verses; these New York rockers will have you bewitched for the duration and their spell does not wear off easily. I’m truly glad to see the band still coming out with new and fresh ideas that are a total pleasure to behold. This is definitely a work to listen to as a whole, while made up of individually ripping songs, you will be way more satisfied to hear them in tandem.

I still think “Shock to the System” is a better album overall, as one that really stood out and grasped me from the first time I heard it and remains a record that I crank with pleasure. That said, I do like this new opus too. It’s a bit less wild, a bit more mature perhaps, and still written and played superbly. Perhaps with time I will hold it in the same regard, or if not; this is still a killer cut of Heavy Metal that’s well worth a spin. Fuelled by melodic guitars, unshakable rhythmic battery and captivating singing; Tower definitely have all the ingredients of a superb band and have unleashed a very strong third album. So do not let my adoration for its predecessor cloud the fact that I still really enjoyed this LP, it remains a killer album in its own right.