Lightfire Media

27/07/2025

Vixen - KK’s Steel Mill 23/07/2025

Copyright - Lightfire Media / Jude

23/07/2025

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16/07/2025

🚨 ALBUM REVIEW: Killswitch Engage - This Consequence 🚨

Who, may I ask who likes rock and metal, doesn’t know who Killswitch Engage are? One of the utmost iconic bands to have ever have existed in metalcore. 26 years so far, this makes album number 9 which feels low for a band with such a long career, however I think we can all agree it’s been a great 9 fu***ng albums right? Jesse’s 5th album overall, 4th since he returned following the departure of Howard Jones, let’s go!

First single “Forever Aligned” has all the criteria of a Killswitch Engage track, chugging along like a steam train through the verses building up through to a clean hook over the cleaner tones on the chorus, it’s a good taster but I can’t help but feel we’re not really going to break the mould here. “I Believe” came next, and that one sat back from the angst and takes a more delicate approach pushing a big vocal hook, think more “Starting Over” as opposed to the likes of “Rose of Sharyn”. I wasn’t keen on “Discordant Nation”, it was too chaotic in the chorus for me to sink my teeth into the melody. “Abandon Us” on the other hand is absolutely my jam, an industrial machine passing the baton off to a fantastic vocal melody and impressive guitar work, the reason I fell in love with metalcore all those years ago. If the more aggressive side of the scale is where you sit then I give you “The Fall of Us”, enjoy the blast beats and deep growls, in this case the chaos and carnage works to keep the heaviness even through those vocal hooks.

Whilst nobody will say this latest album shatters any boundaries or revolutionize the genre, it’s another fine example of a band confident in their own skin flexing their muscles. I mean damn Killswitch basically raised most of us, and hopefully as they embark on a big tour later on this year they can still be around to guide future metalheads down the right path. Make sure you get your tickets to that tour, It's a gnarly line up.

[7/10]

15/07/2025

🚨 FESTIVAL REVIEW: Download Festival 2025 Sunday 🚨

Bleed From Within [8] have the - what can be - challenging task of opening up Sunday's proceedings (for us having arrived slightly late), not that you could sniff out any ounce of fear or worry in that performance. Commanding and always, visual video packages accompanying the tracks on their screen backdrop, I know it’s a big jump up to the main stage which is well deserved but I would much rather have had them on later on and for longer, their energy is meant for the darkness not the midday sun. Also starting my day with Pyro is always a way to get super hyped.

The Ghost Inside [7] in so glad I’ve finally got to see them because I never thought it would happen at one stage, they come on to a great sized crowd and they sound great, I’m living my teenage metalcore dream here, whilst they were musically spot on AND the pit looked to be in full swing, I felt some of the between song chat was a touch repetitive but they’re fortunate enough to have enough bangers to be forgiven for that.

Jinjer [8] have beyond earned their space on the main stage, the last time I was here you could not get in the tent to see them it was so packed. Also the Ukrainian Flag with “PUTIN WANKS ON ALL FOURS” is the most British way to support Ukraine I have ever seen. It’s a well deserved jump to the main stage and they prove why they deserve to be there, blasting through great material after sorting out some early technical issues allowing their musical ability to take the focus of attention.

Alien Ant Farm [5] was victim to wind distortion pretty badly, but not just that it’s like they’ve parked the bus really like, we got Alien Ant Farm but without the expected passion. I really wish I’d seen them back in the day, the crowd they pulled was shockingly big mind you I wasn’t quite expecting it! Also I’m all for people having their believes and faiths but I wasn’t a fan of the religious chatting.

I really wanted to see President, however after just being packed in like sardines for Alien Ant Farm, the Dogtooth Stage was absolutely rammed full of people spilling out of the tent quite a significant distance, I just couldn’t face it.

Spiritbox [9] were just stunning, the sound is spot on, LaPlante surpasses her impeccable studio performance with a gorgeous life showcase. The production is great, the screens fracturing and distorting the camera feed, trippy visuals and a packed setlist from their 2 albums and their EPs. I have been absolutely blown away by their performance, I’ve never seen a band ooze confidence and just simply belong whilst remaining so humble, in such a short space of time and at this stage in a career. Mark my words, Spiritbox will be festival headliners, and I don’t think we have to wait that long to see it.

Lorna Shore [9] is the band I’ve been absolutely stoked about seeing again, I have fallen deeper and harder AND faster than I ever have with a band. They absolutely back up all the hype that surrounds them, the guest vocals from Left To Suffer’s Taylor Barber on opener “Sun//Eater” is just, fu***ng gnarly. Bursts of the first pyro I’ve seen of the day only brought down by a rude interruption in the middle of the “Pain Remains” trilogy where everything just went off, stone cold silence. After already coping with the irritation of the very start of Bullet For My Valentine’s set over powering some of the end of their set, killing the momentum of a really powerful part of Lorna’s set was just such a buzzkill.

Bullet For My Valentine [7] have performed exactly the same set as their recent headline with Trivium Tour, not that I will ever complain of hearing The Poison, it didn’t feel as grand as when I they played in January, the production was the same but on this much bigger stage it doesn’t hit quite the same. Matt made his mission statement that they want to come back and headline this festival, well this next album has some big ambitions to meet if that’s the case Mr Tuck.

Korn [9] launch straight into the good stuff, nobody can ever say that this headline set is not well deserved, Korn have been dominant, weathered low periods and are still God damn here kicking ass. I have 0 complaints with the setlist, a great spread through their history of hits and some different gems peppered in. They’re on a mission blasting from track to track taking brief pauses to allow Mr Davis to whip up a frenzy here and there and give thanks for a huge career. Ending with Richard Cheese’s version of “Freak On A Leash” as the crowd disperses made me chuckle.

- Review by Jay
- Photos by Jay and Rose

*Views Expressed are those of individuals and not necessarily those of Lightfire Media*

15/07/2025

🚨 GIG REVIEW: Slayer + Amon Amarth + Anthrax + Mastodon + Hatebreed @ Blackweir Fields Cardiff 3/7/2025 🚨

Hatebreed [7] do phenomenally however the organisation of this show has a lot to answer for, gate opened at 5 and took forever to get through when Hatebreed only had 20 minutes starting at 5:15, there were a lot of unhappy fans in the queue. The balls of death made an appearance, they only got 4 songs, they were a great 4 songs but this is the mighty Hatebreed! God forbid if the other opening band hadn’t have pulled out.

Mastodon [7] play very proficiently to a backdrop of trippy psychodelic video packages, as tradition. However for half the set the left screen wasn’t working at all. They’re a band of few words until their last track but I suppose when you’re only given a short time to play, but then they closed with “Blood & Thunder” leaving me a very happy man.

Anthrax [7] absolutely perplex me with how they still have this much damn energy! Vocalist Joey Belladonna at 64 years of age getting his ass out into the crowd, bounding round the stage with more gusto and fire than a lot of frontmen over half of his age, he amazes me just as much today as he did way back in 2006 when I first saw Anthrax. They get that crowd good and riled but we are left wanting more and the crowd let the world know it begging for one more song which unfortunately they were unable to give.

Amon Amarth [9] bring the fireeeeee, lots of pyro, a huge stage setup with a Viking helmet with horns housing the drum kit, 2 gigantic statues backed by the image of a shield war and an army of vikings. Singer fell off the platform but he laughed it off, “it’s not about how you fall, it’s how you get back up”. Having never seen Amon Amarth and not having been a huge fan of their records, they’ve made a convert of me today, Skål!

Slayer [10] just absolutely blew the place up, the last time I saw that much fire was at a Rammstein show, not to mention some of it made upside down crosses. 20 song set, showcasing an extraordinary journey through their beyond ample back catalogue. I’ve been privileged to see Slayer a handful of times in my life but this I can safely assure you has been the greatest. The event on the whole had been a strange one, the whole front left of the crowd being solely for VIP ticket holders and the weird set times, but overall I feel extremely grateful and in awe of the mighty Slayer for what could be (I’ve said this before) the last time in my life.

- Review by Jay

*Views Expressed are those of individuals and not necessarily those of Lightfire Media*

03/07/2025

🚨ALBUM REVIEW: KING 810 - Rustbelt Nu Metal🚨

King 810 are a very special and unique Nu Metal band that have emerged from Flint, Michigan in the US back in 2007. Their lyrics and themes reflect the violent and dark experiences they’ve gone through growing up in a very rough area, I always refer to their material as poetic but in a demonic way where beauty is substituted for gore and vulgarity, no shock that I’m a huge fan. This is album number 5 now so let’s jump in and take it for a ride.

“Headshot” is an absolute beauty, David’s way with words in his storytelling is something else, whilst theming about life in the streets, it cuts straight through you with lines like “Little girls sell their panties to a pedophile” and “Balloon ruptured in her stomach, And I held her while she shook and died”, the hairs stand up on the back of your neck realising that’s a haunting reality. The violent topics aren’t all there is to it, again there’s a big dark religious aspect to their writing which is still as prevalent as ever, a good example of that is “Noonday Demon” which has sharp wheezy inhales that make the hair on the back of the neck stand on end, spitting out all the ways that God uses “King David” to do the darker things to keep his name away, it’s a highly volatile yet seductive song. “Raindance” has a chorus I can really vibe with, I feel like I do a type of dance to it with how slippery and sleazy it feels, it allows David time backed by silence to spit some lyrics at the end like an angry spoken word show. Initially it was those 3 tracks that stood out for me, but with each full listen, the others started to dig their way in like. Particularly the title track “Rustbelt Numetal”, it flows like an unpredictable ocean with an onslaught of aggression that calms for a brief respite before rocking the boat again, I can’t see how it didn’t stick quicker but importantly it has now.

I’ll always be saying I want more whenever these guys drop an album because I absolutely love their style. The albums seem to have dropped in length from around Su***de King and they have seemed to favour EP style size and length since then. As I said earlier the more I’ve listened the more that adoration has grown, they are literally the definition of shock and awe, in your face with the lyrical theme and then leaving me in awe with the composition, hopefully see you soon lads for another headline show!

[7/10]

- Review by Jay

*Views Expressed are those of individuals and not necessarily those of Lightfire Media*

25/06/2025

We are absolutely blasting this at high volume today!

What are your thoughts on new Lorna Shore track, “Unbreakable” 🤘🏻👌🏻🤘🏻

LORNA SHORE - Unbreakable (Official Video). Pre-order/Pre-Save the new album now! https://ifeeltheeverblackfesteringwithinme.com/https://lornashoreband.com/h...

17/06/2025

🚨ALBUM REVIEW: Dynazty - Game of Faces🚨

Dynazty are another premium Swedish power/heavy metal band, they’ve been active for around 18 years, in which time they’ve produced what is now 9 studio albums. I only really became aware of them when they released their last album Final Advent in 2022 which caught my attention.

“Call of the Night” is a fantastic way to open an album, the thumping of the beat, the subtlety of keys boosting a fullness to the composition, it gives me Sabaton vibes but without the war and a more positive, sharper tone. I really like “Dark Angel” and it’s not just because I think of WWEs Stephanie Vaquer whenever I see the title, it’s like the Anti Frozen because the Chorus has this quality in the vocal melody that makes gives off this SLIGHT “Let It Go” energy but the antihero version, it’s a great emotionally charged song. “Fire to Fight” is the type of song they thrive in, it’s like they took the best parts of songwriting from bands like Journey and Foreigner and utilised the skills into their really epic sounding power metal, their story telling being the epitome of what Power Metal always has been, I would very much like to include “Devilry of Ecstacy”, they feel like big festival tracks. We’ve got a bit of a power ballad with “Dream of the Spring”, the lead guitar cuts through with a clean and sharp riff, the group vocals in the chorus really fill out the sound, I do love a good sing-along, so I’m sold.

I definitely favour the more traditional heavier style they’ve adopted on this album compared to their last, it just feels very natural. There more to it than that though because there are so many power metal bands, a lot stick with their well established style and just keep chugging along, but it’s bands like Dynazty that will keep the genre not just alive, but fresh.

[7/10]

- Review by Jay

*Views Expressed are those of individuals and not necessarily those of Lightfire Media*

11/06/2025

🚨 ALBUM REVIEW: Bleeding Through - NINE🚨

It’s been 7 long years, since we last had an album from Orange County heavyweights Bleeding Through, prior to that it was 6 years! This band was a monumentous part of my youth and I really grew up with them. They blew my mind with 2012’s The Great Fire, adored it, thought it was superb. Then they broke up! It was crazy to me, I thought my God look what you have here this is going to be huge. The fact that post release of that album will always be tainted with the break up really killed the momentum. I didn’t feel they’d managed to rekindle that on their returning album Love Will Kill All, I am hoping that we can find that here.

“Gallows” in it's verses take me right back to that album but the chorus feels unexpected to me, it’s dreary and haunting instead of infectious melody, it’s unusual but I think I’m into it. “Dead But So Alive” has a chorus that really throws me back to their early career in the early 00s when they thrived in writing haunting melodic choruses and it worked so well. “Hail Destruction” is a track that perfectly exhibits what those keyboards with that Organ style tone can do to fill out and change the dynamic of a song, such a perilous sensibility amongst a steady and calculated pace. “Lost in Isolation” guests Doc Coyle (a lot of people know him as the guitarist of Bad Wolves but the OGs remember him from God Forbid), the difference in effect the feminine and masculine vocals pass off onto each other is hauntingly stunning, I’m also a sucker for a good ol’ guitar solo and this one flows through the eardrums like a dream. “I Am Resistence” guest features Andrew Neufeld from Comeback Kid, it’s the one that makes me most nostalgic and remember why I fell in love with the band to begin with, it’s a touch less malevolent and whilst you can feel despair it’s as though there’s a touch of positivity and hope. One I’m really not sure on is “Emery”, now I’m not sure if that’s because it was so different and I’m stand offish with it, or because it’s odd, I see what they’re doing but it hasn’t landed for me. Especially when it’s followed by “War Time” for which they’ve wrangled another legend of the business in Brian Fair from Shadows Fall, its a methodically written travel back to the core of where these bands came from, the heavy, the melodic, the filth, the headbanging, after initially not vibing with this song it's become quickly one of my favourites.

This is I think Bleeding Through showing they still know how to do this, I really hope it rekindles the touring as it’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve seen them and I’ve got the itch, it’s like the new stuff unearthed the attachment all over again. Nothing will ever slap me in the face as much as The Great Fire did when it first dropped, or equal the sheer love I had for songs like “Kill To Believe” or “For Love And Falling”, but it’s a great advancement from the last couple of albums for me.

[8/10]

- Review by Jay

*Views Expressed are those of individuals and not necessarily those of Lightfire Media*