After the success of their 2019 debut, Secrets, Written By Wolves deliver a sophomore project with teeth. Described as one of the most exciting up-and-coming rock acts in the country, The Lighthouse is a cinematic specimen of the world-class electro-rock band they are quickly becoming. Visual, expertly produced, and fiercely energetic, Written By Wolves’ first full-length studio album in almost half a decade raises the bar for what we can expect on their trajectory.

The environment is set with the sounds of creaky rigging and machinery in the instrumental intro of Adrift, giving way to Give 'Em Hell, a tight, unpredictable assault of hulking riffs and electronica for an opening track that heralds the album's themes, its ferocity, its motifs.

Give 'Em Hell swells and bursts in its dynamics, moving from low-phased verses to walls of distortion and vocal harmonies. The unpredictability and dynamic range of the track is as engaging as it is impressive, offering twists and turns that throw you into the project the way an opening piece should.

Misery is another neck-breaking display of the band's unconventional direction. Furious double kicks and phasing transitions in and out of different sections keep us transfixed. There is a very impressive use of offbeat riffing under the vocals that works well with the modulating, often glitchy electronic elements.

The momentum is not only kept but brought up a notch out of the sheer chaos of the song. It would be a treat to see this performed live as it really sounds like every member is leaving nothing on the table. It’s tight, raging, and often times hopeful in its outright refusal for the title emotion, highlighted by a motif of a serene choir in moments of calm between the rage, chanting “We can’t just be made for misery”.

With a seething death-growl, Burn explodes into a titanic display of groove. Likely the most accessible song on the album, its howling, chugging riffs, meet an almost commercial pop stamp in its hook and overall simplicity. It’s easy to follow and makes for a great moment of respite in preparation for the variability of what the rest of the album might produce if its predecessors were anything to go by.

It's guaranteed to entice movement, and as such will likely find itself woven through the airways, and a crowd favourite at their shows.

The heart of the album revolves around Please, Just Breathe, slowing the album to a poignant segment. A recount of a solemn request to a loved one departing to just breathe and hold on a little longer for a final goodbye.

The song moves with a narrative of bargaining for more time, and the desperation that comes with that in someone’s final moments. Lead vocalist, Michael Murphy, is stuck in moments of hindsight; "You were hiding your decline and the pain inside for me or just for your pride."

The instruments follow the reflective elements in the first verse, edging off to allow the lyrics to set the scene, before a pacing, synthy beat shifts to a call to action for the narrator to get to where they need to be before it's too late. It's a track that forces one to ruminate on what we wish to say to a loved one in such a moment, or rather what assurances we seek. The most simple example is in the line "I love you and I know that you love me too, but I just need to know that you knew." The piece is easily the most intent and inspired in terms of its lyrics on the album.

Write The Ending trades the fervour of the prior track for a rhythmic, dance-club number with sensual, electric imagery. It furthers the accessibility of the album to a wide array of audiences. The chorus again stating Michael’s range to be extensive, with leaps that give it an angelic, early 2000’s pop-punk character, while the guitars and electronics fuse in the gut-busting drops, morphing into an industrial, dance hybrid.

An album with so many varying elements like this would be make or break when it comes down to its production. Fortunately, with Gladius James at the helm (Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony), the group are in good hands. The mix is rich, balanced, and perfectly highlights each members strengths and contributions to the project. The mahi that has gone into the production has ensured every member is visible.

Goddess is a love letter to the temptress, and seemingly to the nu-metal scene with rap phrasing in its verses, exploring images of Aphrodite-like figures. The words speak of temptation, overlaying frantic, pulsing instrumentation and tantalizing riffs.

The electronic elements are spliced seamlessly. Michael showcases his incredible vocal range again, leaping through octaves with ease. It’s worth mentioning that the performances on the album are all round impeccable. Detonating drums of Karl Woodham laying skeletons of velocity on every track, pulling us from half-time to double, rounded off by Oli Lyons samples to bring the anthemic electro-rock to life.

Nearing the end of the effort, we come to the title track. The Lighthouse is as big of a detour from the rest as it gets. Slow, almost unplugged, and deeply emotional, it’s the organ of the albums theme: a beacon in seemingly hopeless darkness. I must admit that I was taken quite aback by the weight of the song. Fitting considering the image it paints of searching for that thing to pull you out of the darkest places. The gentle instrumentation allows the hopeful message the space to breathe, and similarly, the listener.

The band has stated that the project is surrounded under the concept of home, “not necessarily a physical place, but the one that makes you feel comfortable, that puts you at ease and makes you feel safe. The Lighthouse is about finding the things that lead you back to that concept of home when we are in our darkest moments.”

Picking up in the gentle aura where The Lighthouse left off, Take Me Home washes us in a gentle beckoning lyric in falsetto before a wall of sound descends upon us. Another monstrous riff paves the way for what is another banger of twists and turns. The makeup of the song is a collection of angelic melodies and, to contrast, some of the heaviest riffs to appear on the album.

I have often been told that Written By Wolves are a powerhouse live band, and it’s easy to visualize what their shows would be like against a backdrop of such evocative and vigorous music. With Sia and Linkin Park covers finding their way onto their setlists, it’s a sign of confidence and adoration for some of the great vocalists in popular music, with Michael stating that Chester Bennington has always remained a source of inspiration to him and his craft.

Take Me Home contains an excellent mix of dynamics, catchy and original melodies, effective juxtaposing instruments, and one hell of a half-time section, highlighting the latter half of the album as a far more engaging, and fervent journey to the end.

The penultimate track, Memory, is an assault on the senses that leans deeper into the electronic side of the group. Another thumping industrial rock number with modulating vocals and an unchanged intensity in the instrumentation, it’s hard to discern each members contribution. The track has a hypnotic quality which may lend itself to its theme and the ability to get lost in its flow, with synthesizers and loops that summon memories of my first time hearing Bowie’s Hallo Spaceboy. It seems to be a far cry from the spacious and ambient outro of the prior track, but it’s sure to shake you to attention for the albums final stop.

Altar is an exploration of all the preceding elements, which is an excellent quality of a solid closing track. Rather than a confronting blaze of metal and chugging instruments, they allow the sonic space to be filled with keyboards, synths, and vocals, in the place of the guitar oriented character that we’re expecting. The track is deeply anthemic and rapidly paced, overlaid with the mantra “I won’t kneel at your altar, I’m not your soldier” building to natural crescendos and earned sensations as a concluding piece.

Following repeating lyrics that will surely elicit memorable call-and-responses from crowd engagement in a live setting, the project concludes with a fierce half-time before Michael leaves us with a sustained cry of “It’s over” in his formidable head voice before an appropriately timed finish with barely a ring of reverb.

With 13 listed tracks, including three instrumentals, the sophomore effort is long, and perhaps with the interluding tunes, unnecessarily so. However, in the grand scheme of a self-described concept album, the inclusion of such moments will perhaps be valuable in the eyes of the beholder.

Written By Wolves have already found success in their efforts, being hailed as a band to watch in their ascension, but The Lighthouse offers a fine addition to an ever-growing discography that will cement their place in the electronic metal and industrial scenes globally.

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• 1
  APT.
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• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
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• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
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• 4
  TASTE
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• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
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• 6
  ESPRESSO
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• 7
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  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
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• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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