Light the Torch—vocalist Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage), guitarist Francesco Artusato (All Shall Perish) and bassist Ryan Wombacher (Bleeding Through)—will release its second album, “You Will Be the Death of Me,” on June 25, 2021, via Nuclear Blast. Pre-order it here.
The band also has dropped the video for the first track, “Wilting in the Light,” which was directed by Ramon Boutviseth in Los Angeles. Watch the video below.
“‘You Will Be the Death of Me’ has been a journey—even without the pandemic,” Jones said. “This album has been emotional and rewarding in every way, and we couldn’t be more excited to finally release it. Maybe there was a bit of desperation writing and recording these songs.”
“Going through personal turmoil and watching Francesco deal with injuries,” Jones said, “we knew this could change things drastically for us. The album was a welcome distraction, and we dumped every emotion we had into ‘YWBTDOM.’ To watch Fran heal and become an even more complete artist in front of my eyes has been amazing to watch. Everything we went through individually and together with this album drew Fran, Ryan and I together. I couldn’t be more proud of this album knowing I made it with my family.”
Artusato opened up about his experiences, saying, “This record is special to me in a different way. From writing the music during one of the toughest times of my life while dealing with a bad injury due to a car accident to being obsessively involved with every aspect of its production, recording and creating the artwork. It’s hard to describe how I feel, and to finally see this record getting ready to be released.”
“We are all very satisfied with how this record showcases the evolution of our band and our evolution as individuals,” he said. “Without our brotherhood, this music could not have happened. Music is what kept us strong together during our toughest times. There’s nothing like art that expresses pure and deep emotions, and that’s what I feel when I listen to Howard’s performance on this record.”
Wombacher concurred, saying, “I think this album shows the growth the band has experienced after years on the road together, and a friendship that has continued to thrive doing what we love together.”
The guys returned to Sparrow Sound in Glendale, California, to work once again with the production team of Josh Gilbert and Joseph McQueen (Bullet for My Valentine, As I Lay Dying, Suicide Silence). This time around, they also welcomed Whitechapel’s Alex Rudinger on drums. “He’s incredible,” Artusato said. “He was exactly what we needed.”
“You Will Be the Death of Me” track listing:
“More Than Dreaming”
“Let Me Fall Apart”
“End of the World”
“Wilting in the Light”
“Death of Me”
“Living with a Ghost”
“Become the Martyr”
“Something Deep Inside”
“I Hate Myself”
“Denying the Sin”
“Come Back to the Quicksand”
“Sign Your Name” (Terence Trent D’Arby cover)
Light the Torch formed in 2012 under the name Devil You Know and released two albums, “The Beauty of Destruction” (2014) and “They Bleed Red” (2015). With the name change in 2017, the band went in a more melodic direction on its debut LP as Light the Torch, “Revival” (2018).
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