Lunarsea's "Hundred Light Years"

Lunarsea, an Italian melodic death metal outfit, has added an impressive album to their catalog, Hundred Light Years. The band has been active since the early 2000s, releasing a demo in 2003 and producing the first full-length, Hydrodynamic Wave in 2006; Hundred Light Years follows 2008's Route Rode Selector.

Lunarsea's present lineup is: Filippo Palma (vocals), Fabiano Romagnoli (guitars and synthesizers), Alfonso Corace (drums), Cristian Antolini (bass and vocals) and Emiliano Pacioni (guitars); the musicians joined to produce the current effort, which shows an understood dedication to the metal craft.

Photo courtesy: lunarsea.bandcamp.com

A brief track, "Phostumous," wastes little time funneling to the core of the album. "3 Pieces of Mosaic" almost disguises the album as technical metal, but it unveils to offer a melo-death persona with a mixture of harmonious and harsh vocals above melodic instrumentation. "Next and Future" closely follows that design; the arrival of "Ianus" captures rigid drumming. 

"Sonic Depth Finder" shows off some creative risks, surfacing scattered bass notes near the beginning as well as blast beats. "As Seaweed" allows clean vocals to tell much of its story, and another attractive element is its peaceful ending of soft piano notes. 

"Pro Nebula Nova" boasts some rather fussy guitar solos, and "Aphelion Point" surprisingly includes a snippet of a string solo. With a common appeal, "Palindrome Orbit" carries a subdued transition into the concluding track, "Ephemeris 1679," which has some rhythmic riffs in moments. 

What is not unnoticeable is that the album has an experimental feel, which can be considered uncomfortably wanted with some bands. Lunarsea receives credit for inducing their creativity in select songs, mostly recognized with "Sonic Depth Finder" and "As Seaweed," albeit, some songs do not branch off far from a strong kickoff. 

From a technical angle, Hundred Light Years has a quality sound that makes listeners aware of a reputable work. Instruments are clear and vocalizations receive their proper balancing. For a melodic death metal band, the entire production is slightly airy; however, that does not affect the nuances of the tracks. Hundred Light Years, overall, ensures that its artistry is represented in the layers of extreme metal. 

For more information about Lunarsea, visit their official website. Or, go to Lunarsea's official merchandise site to purchase Hundred Light Years and other products.