Album Review: Spotlights – Alchemy for the Dead

A soulful exploration of sound

Spotlights recently released Alchemy for the Dead, and it’s every bit as enrapturing as listeners hoped it would be. The album unrolls with “Beyond the Broken Sky”, a slow burn, unraveling in layers. Intentional power chords ready listeners for an immersive experience of sound as lyrics make a brief debut. The experience is rooted in the instrumentals, the emotion as raw and gritty as the most poignant lyrics —heavy guitar riffs are flawlessly in step with aggressive drums. 

“The Alchemist” opens with static acuity, the faint crackling painting a vintage portrait despite the music’s modern feel. It’s emotive and perfectly executed from start to finish, each note flawlessly placed and part of a larger music book, Alchemy for the Dead a story in its own right. 

“Sunset Burial” features a hypnotic beat without relinquishing its hold on subtle storytelling. There’s a trance-like quality that stems from whimsical sounds and legato notes. The track quickly kicks things up with distorted guitars and sharp, bellicose notes. 

As the album progresses, “Algorithmic” offers up another infectious beat with clean guitars foregoing grainy distortion. This paves the way for cleaner vocals as Spotlights showcases their immense talent and range. Although the entire album retains a heavier quality, it still allows candid vocals to bleed through, the instrumentals backing off ever so slightly to display the band’s lighter side. 

“False Gods” is the album’s punchiest tune yet, a playful drumbeat alternating between impenetrable power chords that refuse to bend. There’s what appears to be a saxophone effortlessly enmeshed into the track, an unexpected and completely welcome instrumental solo that further proves Spotlights is anything but your average hard rock band. They take no prisoners and serve up no holds barred melodies, refusing to conform to any specific sound. 

“Repeat the Silence” is another testament to the band’s ingenuity and ability to create captivating beats, delivering one spellbinding song after the next. “Ballad in the Mirror” immediately throws itself into a relentless mix of drums and guitar, only to back off long enough for the vocals to shine through. Although the entire album possesses a heavy sound, it’s never so cumbersome that the melody is lost within. There’s a universal appeal to Alchemy for the Dead and something for everyone.

“Crawling Toward the Light”, the album’s penultimate track, is yet another infectious offering, the marriage between melody and beat awe-inspiring. The song boasts a distinct feeling of drive and desire and the need to power through, the beat wrapping its sinewy tendons around the listener, readying them for “Alchemy for the Dead.”

“Alchemy for the Dead” unfurls with a pretty guitar solo and candid vocals that invite the listener to peek behind the curtain, but only for so long. As the song continues, other sounds are coyly introduced, ensuring the vocals are never overshadowed. There’s a spellbinding quality that creates a fairytale for listeners, and, just when it’s least expected, the song takes a sharp detour and delves back into the band’s heavily embedded hard rock roots. This serves as a reminder that emotions are seldom mundane —there’s always a level of edge lurking just beneath the surface, something that Spotlights refuses to let listeners forget.