Black Light Burns

As time goes by and the music industry flourishes, we are only bound to see bands made up of other bands. These “superbands” have been around for a long time, and will only keep coming so long as music exists. Black Light Burns is no exception. The group was started by former Limp Bizkit guitar player, Wes Borland and along with Danny Lohner (bass/guitar/keyboards) previously of bands such as Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, Josh Freese (drums) formerly of The Vandals, NIN, and A Perfect Circle, and lastly Josh Eustice (keyboards) of Telefon Tel Aviv, BLB is certainly a powerhouse of musicians.

The album kicks off with “Mesopotamia,” which starts off with a bit of an industrial guitar riff (makes sense… Considering Lohner was from NIN). Not to knock the song down, but it really doesn’t have a whole lot of variety or body to it. It’s the same riff throughout the majority of the song, which only consists of a few different chords. The vocals are a bit on the quiet side, so you need to crank it up if you want to hear Borland’s voice properly. All in all, the track doesn’t have a lot to offer.

“Coward” is forth on the LP. The guitar riff to this track was much more appealing than “Mesopotamia.” It had more to it, and it wasn’t dull. The interesting part about this track is the guest appearance. Sonny Moore, vocalist of From First To Last, decided to play a part in this track, which I know will greatly appeal to FFTL fans and many emo kids. Although I’m not a huge fan of Sonny Moore, I still enjoyed listening to this track. The lyrics were kind of odd, but they get the job done. The chorus goes by “I will always hurt everyone I love.” Not exactly fun, but still affective nonetheless!

Tenth on Cruel Melody is “One Of Yours.” The intro was one of the most interesting intros on the album. The guitar riff is played in a strange manor, which sounds almost foreboding. Borland’s vocals are a lot more audible, so you don’t need to strain your ears to hear what he’s singing. The track had more variety, with a bit more feeling behind it, rather than just a song the band put out. It seems that the band actually felt more attached to this one.

Overall, I expected more to this album. With artists from well respected bands, such as Limp Bizkit, A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails, the songs could have been tighter. The tracks were a bit on the boring side to be honest. All in all, the album did have it’s ok moments. I give Cruel Melody a 6.3/10.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Mesopotamia
02. Animal
03. Lie
04. Coward
05. Cruel Melody
06. The Mark
07. I Have a Need
08. 4 Walls
09. Stop a Bullet
10. One Of Yours
11. New Hunger
12. I Am Where It Takes Me
13. Iodine Sky

Run Time: 60:33