As the slow-burning intro of the opening title track launches itself into a furious attack of fret-melting guitars and face-pounding kick drums, it’s obvious that thrash/death metallers Arceye are not fucking around on their second release.
Al Llewellyn’s gravelly vocals are in fine form and the entire band seem to be firing on all cylinders as tracks such as The Storm, I Silently Wait and Prey Forgiveness continue the onslaught with great effect. That’s not to say that there isn’t anything more to this album than straight-down- the-line aggression, though, as the acoustic guitar and synth-driven instrumental Sirius as well as the clean vocal diversion of Damage Done give breathing space amongst the brutality.
With a tight modern production, razor-sharp riffing and well-crafted songs that display an underlying current of progressive thinking, At First Light is a praiseworthy follow-up to 2009’s The Divide Between Chaos And Order from a band on the rise.
