Light of Eternity is the perfect name for a band born to deliver catharsis in the darkest of times.
Launched in the fall of 2023 by Killing Joke drummer Big Paul Ferguson as a side project in collaboration with ace singer/bassist Fred Schreck and stunningly inventive guitarist Paul Williams, Light of Eternity unexpectedly became a much-needed soundtrack for many as they faced uncertainty in an increasingly perplexing world — and, for Ferguson, the first step in navigating the prospect of a musical future following the loss of an iconic bandmate and friend — when the trio released its first EP, the four-song Edge of Fate, in June of the following year. (Read my review here.)Since then, the fellas have been moving really fucking fast. With fans still catching their breath from Light of Eternity’s first sonic onslaught, the band dropped a second four-track EP, Aftershock, a mere seven months later. A few weeks back, the group issued both EPs as a single CD collection under the title Collateral.
Having covered my thoughts on the first four tracks in my previous review, I’ll now explore the pummeling freight train that is Collateral’s second half, Aftershock. These four more recently released tracks expand on the foundation laid by Edge of Fate, making everything even darker, angrier, more danceable (yes, danceable – this is Ferguson laying down the beats, after all), and more incendiary. Naturally, every song is a stunner, but the groove-laden “Dark Hope” is my pick for the definitive jewel of the group’s second release. The song hits its zenith at the 3:20 mark, leaving me sitting agape with the same goosebumps I felt when I first heard the mighty Joke at 10 years old.
If you’re a Gatherer, you know there’s just something about that fucking band. Describe it? Impossible. Feel it? Every damn time. Whatever that intangible magic is that has impacted and changed so many of our lives, Light of Eternity has it, too. In spades.
The release of Collateral came shortly before news broke that Light of Eternity would be supporting Ministry on its upcoming European tour. It's fantastic to know that Schreck — whose talents deserve to be experienced by the largest crowds possible — and Williams will be hitting venues that size. Most significantly, Light of Eternity's well-earned ascent is a victory for Ferguson, whose lengthy self-imposed exile from the music world was finally broken when he rejoined the other original members of Killing Joke in 2007. While it has been fantastic having him back behind the kit in the greatest goddamn band in the world, it has been an even greater joy hearing what he’s done on his own in recent years. While a question mark understandably hangs over the future of his best-known band, Collateral proves that he and his two immensely gifted cohorts aren’t about to accept the state of the world quietly.
Order Collateral
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
