Kiss of Death
Seven songs. Fourteen minutes. It goes without saying that Bay area punk-metal outfit Light Yourself on Fire — which features alumni from Scrog, Reversal of Man, Omega Man and The Guff, to name but a few — doesn't fuck around. Equal parts Prong, Unsane and death metal, LYoF kicks your ass quickly, then leaves you wondering what the hell happened. Matt Coplon's monotone-grunt vocals are a weak point, which is a shame, because the lyrics are well worth knowing. But then the menacing grooves, dissonant harmonics and top-notch drum work will monopolize your attention anyway. It's not metal-core or screamo or even really death metal — it's just brutal and original and cathartic, with more killer riffs than you can possibly use. 3.5 stars
This article appears in Dec 20-26, 2006.