Band:	Light The Torch
Album:	Revival
Style:	Metalcore
Release date:	March 2018

01. Die Alone
02. The God I Deserve
03. Calm Before The Storm
04. Raise The Dead
05. The Safety Of Disbelief
06. Virus
07. The Great Divide
08. The Bitter End
09. Lost In The Fire
10. The Sound Of Violence
11. Pull My Heart Out
12. Judas Convention

Light The Torch AKA Devil You Know return for their third album (and first under their new name); 2018's Revival is an aptly named record, giving the band solid footing on which to move forward after the hype of 'isn't that the band with X in it?' was fading fast.

To get that out of the way first, the band are on fine form and are a cohesive unit rather than just a collection of separate talents who happen to occupy the same sonic space. Artusato crafts some fine riffs that complement Jones and works with him rather than competing for attention against him. Jones is much his usual self, top grade work and some of the finest moments in his career can be found here. Wombacher and Sciulara hold down the rhythm and create a solid sonic foundation but leave the heavy lifting for Artusato and Jones; nothing wrong with that, but little to enamour yourself with either.

Revival has solid songs on it that give the band some calling cards for you to associate their name to, with tracks like "Calm Before The Storm", "The Safety Of Disbelief" and "Pull My Heart Out" being some excellent slabs of metal. "Calm Before The Storm" in particular sees Jones put in one of his best performances and creates a song that will stick with you long after it has finished. There are many other good songs to be found, with "Die Alone", "Raise The Dead" (sensing a theme here) and "Virus" bolstering the album with quality material.

The use of different sounds and elements on tracks like "The Great Divide" and "Lost In The Fire" is an admirable attempt at trying to switch up the formula and broaden the scope of the record. While I am not a fan of the former, the latter track is a decent song and the added orchestral sounds provide some nice flourishes on top of the track.

The album is well produced; the low end of the album is raised in the mix so that the floor is higher in the mix and the band can springboard further up and smash through the glass ceiling that had until this point existed for them. This focus on the higher end of the band's sound sees the band play to their strengths; with Artusato being the sole guitarist, he isn't diverted so much by needing to add a thicker rhythm section and Jones' naturally booming voice seems more powerful against the higher sound of the music.

Revival isn't without its flaws, however; there are some tracks on it that let down the collection. "The Sound Of Violence" is the chief culprit among them, a song that shifts focus onto the lower tones of the band and doesn't really go anywhere with it. Jones sings with conviction but to no real end; the song plays itself out and you wonder where it was meant to go. While a song like "The God I Deserve" doesn't hit the same depths, it comes off as a well intentioned dud.

If you've slept on Light The Torch so far and not given them a fair shake then you owe it to yourself to give this album a try; it might not be world-changing but at the very least it will change your attitude towards the band and make you realize you had done yourself a disservice by not listening to it sooner.