Started in 2023 as a side project, Light of Eternity (LOE) gathers the talents of three well-known artists: Paul Williams (Chaos 8), Fred Schreck (The Ancients, Satellite Paradiso, Crush), and Big Paul Ferguson (Killing Joke, Murder Inc., Crush). However, the collaboration proved so successful, that the project quickly took on a life of its own, and the first fruits of the band’s labours emerged in the form of Edge Of Fate, a four-track EP that landed on Bandcamp on June 1st, 2024.
Offering up a darkly dynamic sound, The EP uses post-punk as its starting point, but with elements of industrial, metal, and post rock all swirled into its DNA. As a case in point, the title track combines the hypnotic pulse of Killing Joke, the gritty synths and dirty guitars of Ministry, with vocals that sit somewhere between Jello Biafra and Andrew Eldritch. It makes for one hell of an introduction to the band and the trio barely pause for breath before unleashing the stabbing industrial beast that is Explode. A direct assault on the senses with harder-edged vocals, it rampages across the heart of the EP, giving a good indication of the band’s feral live potential.
Having successfully grabbed the attention, LOE opt for a very different tone with the gorgeous Lament. Slow-paced, with some exceptional percussion from Big Paul, it offers a haunting and reflective verse that seems to throb with regret. While a heavier chorus is waiting in the wings, there’s a restraint here that works in the song’s favour, and the understated vocal stands as an EP highlight. The EP concludes with Tipping Point, which sits somewhere between those heavier opening pieces and Lament. With swirly, psychedelic synths pointing the way towards a surprisingly potent industrial riff, it recalls the likes of PIG, while the chorus hits the levels of epic required of a closing number. Better still, a lengthier runtime allows the band to indulge in more experimentation and there’s even a nod to The Orb as samples shoot across an ambient passage that only serves to make the song’s conclusion all the weightier.
A deeply impressive four-track EP, Edge Of Fate finds three talented musicians finding their way to their own sound, and achieving a significant amount in just twenty short minutes. With the opening tracks paving the way, the real promise of LOE can be found in the twin peaks of Lament and Tipping Point, both of which highlight the range the band have at their command and promise big things for the future. Sonically powerful, and emotionally charged, Edge Of Fate is everything the combined skills of its creators promised, and a full-length album cannot come soon enough. 9/10
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