Light This City
BAND MEMBERS:Laura Nichol- Vocals
Ben Murray- Drums
Ryan Hansen- Lead Guitar
Steve Hoffman- Rhythm Guitar
Jon Frost- Bass
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LIGHT THIS CITY began in 2002, when best friends Laura Nichol and Ben Murray decided to start a melodic death metal project in the vein of At the Gates, Carcass, In Flames, and all the Scandinavian bands that inspired them to play fast, melodic, crushing music, largely untouched by the American population of metalcore, death-core, and numerous other subgenres of heavy metal that were ignoring the monstrous influences of the 90’s. After the sparks were lit, Laura and Ben soon wrote their debut 2003 Full-Length, ‘The Hero Cycle’, which quickly landed them a deal with Prosthetic Records, who would go on to release the band’s following three albums.
As Murray and Nichol neared the end of high-school, LIGHT THIS CITY released 2005’s “Remains of the Gods”, which sparked the rest of LIGHT THIS CITY’s trajectory on Prosthetic Records, and saw the band touring heavily in support of their Bay Area brand of melodic-death metal infused Thrash. “Remains of the Gods” gained favorable reviews and it seemed as if the metal press knew what was in store for Light This City… Then came 2006’s “Facing the Thousand”.
We’re coming up on 10 years since the band’s undeniably most popular album, “Facing the Thousand”. By the time Nichol and Murray had arrived into 2006, they were out of high-school, on the road full-time, with a full band in tow (Steve Hoffman on Guitar, Ryan ‘Hollywood’ Hansen on Lead Guitar, and Jon Frost on Bass). “Facing the Thousand” saw the band on the road in support of a multitude of metal acts such as Death Angel, Vader, Malevolent Creation, Edguy, Into Eternity, All That Remains, Chimaira, Soilent Green, Darkest Hour, Suicide Silence, Misery Signals, and many more, gaining the band a rapid exposure into the metal mainstream.
After a 3-year touring cycle on ‘Facing the Thousand’, the band retreated to Oakland, CA to record their 4th album, “Stormchaser”, which saw a guest vocal appearance by Chuck Billy of TESTAMENT. Before the official release of the album, Light This City disbanded before even having the chance to tour on their fourth and final effort.
In 2010, Light This City played 5 final shows, titled ‘The Final Thrash Attack’, in which the band was able to celebrate the songs of “Stormchaser”, and give the fans a bit of closure that they never received with the band’s sudden disappearance from the world of heavy metal. In September of 2015, DARKEST HOUR requested that Light This City play the San Francisco date of their 20th anniversary tour. LIGHT THIS CITY quickly reunited within a few months to rehearse one final set that would celebrate the band’s 4-Album Career. The show was absolutely one for the books, sparking the flame which lead the band to reunite, 10 years later.
LIGHT THIS CITY will enter Castle Ultimate Studios with Zack Ohren to record their 5th full-length LP in December of this year. Murray’s label, Creator-Destructor Records will be releasing the album in March of 2018. More news soon! Stay tuned…
