When you are listening that a band's base is in Los Angeles, 9 out of 10 times you will think of a glam/sleaze or Rock band. Well, LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH's music, as you may think by their name and the cover of the album, is far away from those genres. Formed in 2003, LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH released their debut album "The Golden Plague" in 2007. A year after they released a self named split CD with VALDUR and a few weeks ago their second attempt is in the stores under the title "The Extra Dimensional Wound".

As in most of the albums, this one has its pros and cons. The issue is if the positive side of this album is able to make someone buy the CD and earn a place in his/her playlist. So let us start with the good things: Firstly let's talk about non music aspects. They have a cool name as a band. They have a very nice, in my opinion, cover and some titles are quite catchy (like "Vorticating Into Scars" or "Damnation Pentastrike"). LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH's music is old fashioned Black Metal, despite the thing that the press release says it's Heavy Metal. Their influences from the Scandinavian scene are obvious in their sound and the spirit of BATHORY is here, alongside ideas based on the sound of bands like MAYHEM, VALKYRIA and DARK FUNERAL. They have their good moments, like the final minutes of "Vorticating Into Scars" and the growls of Autarch are the ones the band needs.

On the other hand, the band seems to lack inspiration. The riffs are not the ones that will stick in your mind. Most of the times they give you the impression that they are there just because it fits and that makes the songs predictable. And that is why you don't have the excitement to listen to them again soon. As for the atmosphere, even though just by looking at their influences makes you have high expectations, the result is not that good. Other bands have managed to create more "Black" and sick atmosphere 20 years ago. Probably the sun of California is not a good ally to play Black Metal. Not that it is that bad, but it doesn't feel, may I say, "true" enough.

Well, if you look at both paragraphs, the pros and cons are almost in balance. And "The Extra Dimensional Wound".is exactly this. An album not bad, and not great either. In my opinion it is an average album. The lack of true filth and blackness is the one that I don't like the most in everything here. It may have a good production, nice ideas and nice song titles, but I believe they have to do much better in their next album in order to make a name in the Black Metal scene.