PROJECTOR - Before the Last Light

PROJECTOR’s second full-length, “Before the Last Light”, from Santiago, Chile, invites us to view the long gap since the band’s debut not simply as a discographic void, but as the result of experience accumulated through songwriting. Founded in 2008, the band’s approach to melodic death metal here rests on turning the genre’s two fundamental building blocks into a mechanism that works within the same framework rather than keeping them separate.

On the death metal side, hard-edged riffs and guttural vocals are decisive, while the melodic character of the guitars constantly shifts the direction of the songs. Passages reminiscent of the Northern European melodic death metal tradition expand into atmospheric sections and clean vocals; once fast, progressive-leaning guitar solos enter the picture, the music no longer relies solely on aggression. The meeting of heavy riffs and melodic leads within the same passages, in particular, forms the central balance of PROJECTOR’s songwriting. Classic heavy metal influences also make their presence felt within this melodic approach, creating a broader expressive range without pushing the album’s genre boundaries simply for the sake of doing so.

This structure also explains one of “Before the Last Light”’s greatest strengths: melodies are not merely used as breathing spaces between heavier sections, but become essential elements in making the compositions memorable. The rhythm section, meanwhile, keeps this guitar-driven framework firmly grounded, providing a functional foundation between faster passages and more groove-oriented transitions. The modern production approach further accentuates these contrasts between the instruments.

The album’s musical framework takes on greater meaning when considered alongside its lyrical themes. While concepts such as ‘Corporatocracy’ and ‘Kakistocracy’ question power, governance, and the state of contemporary society, ‘The Future We Deserve’ offers another form of expression within this bleak picture through its distinctly different ballad character. The guest vocals from Cinthia Santibáñez of CRISÁLIDA further reinforce the song’s separation from the rest of the album.

“Before the Last Light” is not a record that redefines its genre—and that is certainly not the detail that makes it valuable. PROJECTOR consistently employs the familiar structures of melodic death metal without surrendering them to technical showmanship, while bringing classic heavy metal melodicism and a more contemporary production approach into the same framework. The result, arriving after such a long period of production, is a noteworthy record that shows a band reaching a more mature point in its songwriting while retaining its identity, particularly for listeners looking for a balance between melody and heaviness.

​More Info: https://linktr.ee/projectorchile