Most bands that have successful runs have a record you can point back to as the one that started the momentum. That’s where everything the artists involved put into their mix really exploded in a good way, and it ends up being a jumping off point for them to reach even higher heights.

I’m guessing the listeners who are introduced to Tower through their great new record “Let There Be Dark,” their third, may end up feeling this way, like this is where things really got started. This feels like the band—vocalist Sarabeth Linden, guitarists James Danzo and Zak Penley, bassist Philippe Arman, drummer Keith Mikus—truly hitting on all cylinders, adding more heaviness but also additional melody. From the first listen, I was hooked, and I’ve been a fan of the band since their 2016 self-titled debut and really enjoyed 2021’s “Shock to the System.” But there’s something different here, and underlying dark majesty, that really pulls this all together and shines like nothing they’ve done before. We’re likely to look back at “Let There Be Dark” as the band’s true coming out moment, the album that showed what they’re capable of and threatened more in the future. It scorches.

“Under the Chapel” starts off the record and immediately thrusts you into a darker version of the band, guitars flowing as Linden’s voice wraps everything in fire. Her voice is in full command, and the band gets more aggressive behind her, the guitars blazing, and the tempo daring you to step in its way. “Let There Be Dark” has guitars thickening, driving and drilling, gang voices helping give the chorus more thrust, Linden’s shriek of the word “dark” blackening eyes. Some of the singing sounds righteously spat out, everything coming to a huge finish. “Holy Water” begins with bells chiming, liturgical chants spiraling, the guitars smearing soot into prone mouths, “I’m begging on my knees, don’t forsake me,” Linden pleads, the guitars sweltering and swinging harder, burying the tension. “And I Cry” is steamy and tingles, the leads heating up as Linden’s singing is more reflective. The pace picks up, leading into a simple, but effective chorus, the player later scalding as the heat rises, sizzling before the noise fades. “The Well of Souls” is a brief instrumental with acoustics taking to the wind, a folkish bend adding rustic illumination.

“Book of the Hidden” crushes open, Linden’s voice taking control, burning into a strange haze. “So it is written, so it is sealed,” she wails, the guitars adding more menace, driving hard through flooding melodies and surging moodiness. “Legio X Fretensis” is another quick instrumental, taking on a Latin vibe, acoustics kicking up dust, leading toward “Iron Clad” that’s incredibly catchy as it starts, riffs powering the way. The singing coats wounds as the pace races, Linden later turning toward a throttling howl, the guitars blazing and creating a thick screen of smoke, torching to a rupturing end. “Don’t You Say” begins with guitars sparkling, reminding of vintage Dokken, and the slower-moving pace lets the sticky energy permeate the atmosphere. The playing kicks into higher gear as the intensity picks up noticeably, fading into smoke. Closer “The Hammer” gets your blood racing right away, a melodic chorus taking hold as Linden warns, “Here comes the hammer!” The guitars take on an old Maiden-style gallop as boisterous “woah-oh-oh” calls ignite, and the power subsides in a stream of foamy blood.

“Let There Be Dark” is a massive step forward for Tower, a band that already was showing serious electricity before this and has surpassed their previous accomplishments. This is a record and band that surely dines on a lot of classic sounds, but they are so much more than a revisitation of metal’s roots. They’re a dynamic, channeled band that is growing exponentially and finally are hitting the sweet spot between hooky and hammering more than ever before.

For more on the band, go here: https://towernyc.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=35

For more on the label, go here: https://cruzdelsurmusic.bandcamp.com/