Laethora

This second album from Swedish death metallers Laethora features members of Dark Tranquillity and the Provenance, among others, so you know you're getting material from dudes who know their stuff. With solid production and a strong, dense sound, Laethora present us with 13 tracks of pounding death metal. With some excellent, reflective downtempo moments, plus thrash and grind influences, the record continually gains momentum and energy. The Light In Which We All Burn is richly textured, making for many an absorbing listen. The pieces are extremely well constructed and despite constant changes within the songs, it's nearly impossible to get lost, bored or overwhelmed. Amidst the brutality, catchy riffs are liberally written in without sounding uninspired or too accessible. Standout tracks include "The Sightless," "Saevio" and "A.S.K.E." It would have been great to have more variety in the vocals, but, otherwise, it's difficult to complain about the album.