Amplified is a weekly column focusing on new and emerging artists. Got a band that fits the bill? Email amplified@metalinsider.net.
More often than anything, I’ll end up favoring bands that skew a lot more extreme to be covered for Amplified, but a good song is ultimately a good song, and between myself and the rest of the Metal Insider crew, we’ll give just about anything a chance. Kansas City’s A Light Within stood absolutely head and shoulders above the rest this week.
Their newest EP, Body Matter, is a gorgeous, introspective journey based mostly around stark melodies and building atmosphere, rather than blasting your face off. Though the band’s self-professed love of bands like Neurosis and Isis results in the occasional sludgy riff break, the end result is an EP that’s manages to be intense while for the most part not being exceptionally heavy. Their similar love of Deftones shows loud and clear in the vocal department, favoring dreamy melodic choices. Let the record show: I love shoegaze and post-rock, and this is music you can absolutely get lost in. Normally, a record that easily fades into the background would be the kiss of death, but the textures that A Light Within sculpt are ones that feel natural, and the mark of good music in this genre is its ability to feel like the notes are bouncing around in your head, rather than coming from a set of speakers.
Check out the first single from Body Matter, “Between Shores” below, and pick up the entire EP on Bandcamp.
