Underexposed is a new article series where we take a look at up and coming bands that are kicking some serious ass! Today we are checking out Lytepath, and their latest material.
Lytepath: The First Installment Of Underexposed!
While we have reached out to musicians before, it’s time that we made it official! “Underexposed” is a brand new series of articles that focuses on underground/indie Metal artists that are making big waves in the scene. We have been really excited about this project, and we love giving back to the community! Hopefully, each week, we will have a new artist for you to explore, with their latest single.
While it has never been easier to record your music and get it out there these days, this comes as a double edged sword. It may be easy to get your music recorded and sounding great even at the home level these days, with various tools that are producer quality, yet available to the general public. But the hard part, is gaining an audience in such a saturated market, especially when it comes to metal. Electrikjam hopes that it can shine a spotlight on these newer bands, and generate a new audience for them.
But let’s get going with the new format. The way this works, is I review the track and talk about production and we have a short interview with the band. At the end, we will share with you how to submit your own band/project for the Underexposed Series. Let’s take a look at Lytepath, and their first single “Control”.
Lytepath: “Control” Review
I listened to Lytepath in the studio, on my personal studio monitor setup. But I also listened in my car to get a real feel for the production. The band went above and beyond to get a unique sound, and it shows! “Control” is the first single from their upcoming EP, recorded at Stone Creek Sound.
Lytepath kick off the track with a volume swell that leads into dissonant 8 string chugs, with some seriously ominous background layering. You know something big is coming, and it gets pretty heavy once the vocals kick in. Nate has his guttural screams down, for sure. The 8 string riffing stays constantly interesting and bone crushing until the chorus hits. If you are a fan of Northlane, you’re going to love this track because I definitely hear some similarities between the two bands.
Nate switches over to clean vocals for the chorus, and I am immediately reminded of Fear Factory without all of the synths. But in the place of the synths that would usually fill up the background of the chorus of a FF song, you have either a super fast arpeggio, or some sort of two hand tapping lick that has an ethereal synth quality to it. It’s a stark contrast to the verses, but it adds a great hook to the song that sticks in your head. Lytepath is apparently not just a one trick pony.
The bridge really threw me off! You have the big half time (maybe slower, actually) breakdown that is expected of this genre. But that only lasts a few measures before everything breaks down completely. When I say completely, I mean we suddenly have acoustic guitar, with the main clean vocal parts repeating the refrain, totally stripped down. It’s a really cool breath of fresh air in a genre where breakdowns are generally overdone, and predictable. We really do not need yet another breakdown with the drummer pounding on a china cymbal and the guitars chugging incomprehensibly. This was a breakdown done right. The guitar solo is super melodic, and it has a really cool synth-like tone to it, sounding almost otherworldly.
The drums are tight, and thankfully they are not over compressed like so many metalcore tracks we hear today. The drums have some incredible fills, and you really feel the punch of every snare hit. The guitars and bass benefit greatly from being done with actual amplifiers, instead of just VST amp sims. The guitars and bass sound massive, and have all of the nuance that only a cranked amp can provide. It has been a real pleasure hearing Lytepath, since they went to a real studio to crank out these tracks. It sounds polished, but not too polished, if you know what I mean.
When it comes to lyrical content, I thought of the concept of “Shadow Work“. This is the concept of facing the darker parts of yourself, the unknown parts of your psyche that as an individual, we all have. That’s some pretty heavy subject matter, and looking inside of yourself to find the parts that you can’t “Control” is a lot of work. As it turns out, I was right about the theme of the song! We got to sit down and interview Lytepath and ask them what the song is about, and all of the gear they used to get their sound!
What kind of gear does Lytepath use?
We used a Driftwood Purple Nightmare and a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, along with a Rev G through an Omega Custom 2×12 cab for amps. We also used Roland Jazz Chorus amplifier.ย “Control” was recorded with a Schecter 8 string Silver Mountain multi scale guitar, which is an absolute beast.ย The drum set up was an in-house one provided by Stone Creek Sound Studios.ย The vocals and acoustic guitar were ran through a one of a kind warm Audio Hybrid cl1100 preamp with some custom modifications.ย Bass was recorded with an Ibanez 6 string bass with active pickups.
Who are your biggest influences now, and who were your influences when you first started?
Everyone in Lytepath comes from different backgrounds, so it’s pretty diverse!ย Mainly metalcore, deathcore, djent, progressive. Bands likeย Periphery, Veil of Maya, Stephen Torranto, Berried Alive, and Chelsea Grin just to name a few off of the top of my head.
What’s your favorite show that you have played? We had a very successful and fun Halloween show this year! This was by far our best set of the year, we think! The band had an amazing turnout, and a really energetic crowd. The sound guy that night absolutely killed it! We’re all still very new as a band, so it was a sick experienceย to play our songs on the stage.
What do you think the overall message is for your music (I definitely want to know, myself!)
Well we got together the first day as Lytepath and wrote out this idea: AroseA.ย “An evolutionary process of letting the bad parts of yourself wither away so you can grow anew”ย . That’s the theme of our upcoming EP, and the subject matter we will be dealing with sonically, and lyric wise.
Tell me a little more about the lead single, “Control”…
The actual song “Control” is very loose on its source of what’s controlling you (I was right about the Shadow Work!). Because I believe everyone feels some level of control/loss of control… and to me personally, it was finding balance in my struggles with substance abuse. Because I felt so lost… and this band really gave my life meaning, a real purpose. I traded out getting high everyday for vocal practice, so it’s really changed me… and my whole lifestyle!ย
Thanks to everyone in Lytepath for giving us a glimpse into their new single! Good luck guys, and keep it up!
Keeping Up With Lytepath:
EPK/Homepage: https://ltepath.bandzoogle.com/home
Nate’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nates.path/
Do You Want Your Band Featured On Underexposed?
We would love to reach out to newer artists, and help you promote your new tracks! All you have to do is send a message to Christopher. In your email please include your press kit and bio. Please also include links to your music, and a brief description as to why you think your fit the bill for an Underexposed interview!
Contact Christopher at: Cah111480@gmail.com
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