Light Creates Shadow is a band from Portland, Oregon that combines the fragile beauty of shoegaze with the full on bluster of alt-rock. At times their album, “Emerge From The Illusion” reminds me a bit of Alcest when the band lets the music breathe and then they can suddenly jump to a loud blast that feels more in line with late 90s rock radio. I was never a fan of that.

All of the first tracks begin softly, showcasing the beauty of lead singer Marc Changnon’s voice. He also has a nice wailing to his voice when it is called for. Each track then kicks into that louder alt-rock style after a minute or so. The problem I have, especially on the second track, “When the Mask Dropped,” is that the production doesn’t seem ready to handle the change. The mid range becomes a blaring mess and it is hard to hear anything else, especially any treble, like cymbals.

I am not aware of any of producer, mixer, engineer Brandon Eggleston’s previous work other than Pelican but he seems used to the loudness wars that are going on and pushes the sound way to loud. I’ve not heard the issue with Pelican though. The quieter parts of the album sound great. “Stented Growth” seems to have the most breathing room but eventually things are just loud and distorted around the 8 minute mark. It actually doesn’t sound as off as previous tracks.

Song wise, the music and melodies are solid and have great potential. Unfortunately for me, the overall mix doesn’t work. I like clarity and I am not a fan of pushing things to the limit. I’ve heard many extreme metal albums with amazing fidelity. Maybe this was supposed to be a more lo-fi approach. It’s not for me.

Rating: 6/10

Tracklist:
1. Into The Wake Of My Wait
2. When The Mask Dropped
3. Salience
4. Mirror Neurons
5. Stented Growth

Website: www.lightcreatesshadow.com
Bandcamp: lightcreatesshadow.bandcamp.com/album/emerge-from-the-illusion