Scottish progressive metal outfit Surface Detail sound absolutely electrifying on ‘This Lantern’, a thrilling new single that throws technical precision, colossal riffs and fearless experimentation into one gloriously unpredictable package.
Powered by a jagged 7/8 pulse, crushing rhythmic accents and wonderfully abrasive guitars, the track twists and turns with relentless energy. Inspired partly by guitarist Adam Anderson and drummer Andrew Carus seeing Opeth live, ‘This Lantern’ takes that progressive spark and runs wild with it, eventually crashing into what the band describe as their most intentionally “harmonically disgusting” melodic section yet.
High Voltage frontman Robbie Horn adds guest vocals, bringing another explosive dimension to the track’s increasingly enormous arrangement.
Even the concept is brilliantly unusual. The lyrics tell their story from the perspective of a lantern that provides light, warmth and guidance before being discarded once its usefulness has passed.
With a new album arriving this autumn and a mysterious dystopian narrative beginning to unfold around it, Surface Detail are building something seriously exciting. Fierce, theatrical and bursting with imagination, ‘This Lantern’ is a spectacular glimpse of what lies ahead.
