Revival is the third studio album from the American metal band Light the Torch and also their first studio album since changing their name from Devil You Know.
The album sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.
Revival is the only album to feature the drummer Mike Sciulara.
Background The album was the first to be released following the band's name change due to legal issues surrounding former drummer John Sankey's departure from the band, and how the latter wanted to claim part copyright of the name. Mike Sciulara then joined the band as their new drummer replacing Sankey.
They finished the writing and recording, while their label didn’t even know they were working on an album. Jones stated “We did the whole thing completely under the radar.“
Jones has stated that he wrote the entire album while he was spending time outdoors “I wrote every bit of it outside when I was hiking or walking or running. I don’t really know why it happened that way, but it did.“
The album is seen as a brand new start for the group hence the name revival. In interviews Howard Jones stated that he wanted Light the Torch’s material to come from a more honest, less burdened place and that the album emerged from rediscovered passion. The album features Jones’ signature emotional intensity with accessible melodies and themes of resilience.
Critical reception
The album has received positive reviews from some music critics.
Max Morin writing for Exclaim! gave the album a 7/10 stating “with all the breakdowns and double-bass aerobics we've come to expect from metalcore's more mainstream side. Howard Jones's voice has lost none of its power or bravado and for a certain type of listener, Revival could be Christmas come early. Dan McHugh of Distorted sound added “Revival doesn’t display as much technical flair as it’s predecessors but it does maintain the potency and penchant for massive choruses which has become a staple of their arsenal. LIGHT THE TORCH have developed a no frills, straight to the point metal album which is hard to fault.
Track listing
Personnel Light the Torch Howard Jones – lead vocals Francesco Artusato – guitars, synthesizers Ryan Wombacher – bass, backing vocals Mike Sciulara – drums
Production Josh Gilbert – production, engineering Joseph McQueen – mixing, engineering Chris Gehring – mastering Hristo Shindov – photography Rob Kimure – layout Francesco Artusato – album artwork
Charts Chart (2018) Peak positionUS Billboard 200169 US Hard Rock Albums 10 US Independent Albums 4 US Top Rock Albums 28
References