As Dark As You – “Lightworker” LP

November 11th, 2020

As Dark As You is a “Post Genre Metal” band out of Long Island, NY. The band consists of Kenny Truhn (vocals), Chris Petchonka (guitar/song composer), and Matt Graff (drums). The band dropped their LP, “Lightworker”, on November 6th. Filled with heavy hitting guitar chords, fast paced drumming and irresistible vocals, “Lightworker” is an LP that has something for everyone.

If you have been following the blog, you know exactly who Kenny Truhn is. If not, all you need to know is that the dude is a musical genius. I’ve never come across another artist with as much diverse musical talent as Kenny possesses. Now he’s here to make his mark in the “Metal” genre. “Lightworker” starts off fast and heavy with “A Gift from the Void”. As Dark As You shows the listeners exactly what they’re made of on this track. Kenny’s ability to change the tone and cadence in his vocals is truly impressive. He switches between higher pitched singing to darker, somewhat growling vocals that catches the listener’s attention immediately. Chris and Matt show off their skills with a bang, effortlessly transitioning to an almost metal-core style half way through the track! These gnarly instrumentals fit perfectly with Kenny’s nasty screams that will have any hardcore fan begging for more. If that doesn’t entice you enough, just wait for the rest of the LP!

As Dark As You continues the LP with “A Veil Over a Simulation”. I was immediately captivated by the guitar intro. Those chords had me rocking along the second they started. My first reaction to this song is that this is going to be one of the songs that everyone sings along to at the show. I can picture everyone singing along, anxiously anticipating those heavy hitting instrumentals and hardcore screaming that will instantly cause an insane mosh pit to break out. What stands out to me the most on “A Veil Over a Simulation” is that insane ending. The instrumentals gradually pick up intensity and Kenny does an awesome job of matching them!

Only two songs in and I was already hooked on “Lightworker”. The band’s diversity was demonstrated so well on those tracks, I couldn’t wait to hear the rest. The LP continues on with “No Light” and “Sunkiller”. After two heavy hitting tracks, “No Light” comes in at the perfect time. The softer, slower style is the perfect way to slow down the LP. Kenny is able to demonstrate his vocal range by showing off vocals that are more commonly heard on his other projects. “Sunkiller”, my favorite song on “Lightworker”, follows up with a bang! This song is wild from start to finish. It has a chaotic feel to it, but it works flawlessly. It is everything I would expect from an As Dark As You song. My immediate thought was, this is a song I can picture being performed at a Vans Warped Tour. What I mean by that is, despite the slow downs during the track, I can picture people still swinging their arms and legs around like crazy. Moshing never stops at Warped Tour, and I can’t picture it stopping at any point during this track. “Sunkiller” is one of those songs that overtakes you. You can feel the music run through your bones and won’t be able to resist going wild.

As Dark As You ends the EP with “Faces in the Trees” and the LP titled track, “Lightworker”. These two songs are the longest on the project, both reaching over 7 minutes. I won’t lie, when I see songs that long, I’m not particularly excited to listen to them. From my experience, bands and artists that have lengthy songs just tend to repeat the same stuff. This is NOT the case with As Dark As You. These guys are extremely impressive at being able to switch up the style and flow at the drop of a hat on a song and then easily transition back. It’s almost as if you’re listening to multiple songs that were put together on one track. The difference is, As Dark As You makes it work perfectly! These two songs were the perfect way to cap off a monster LP.

As Dark As You is here to prove their worth! With an LP and a few singles already under their belt, I knew “Lightworker” was destined to be a good project. What I didn’t expect as for As Dark As You to blow it out of the water. Make sure you follow As Dark As You on their social media accounts and check out songs from “Lightworker” on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!