Los Angeles hard rock outfit Holy Wars have released their highly anticipated sophomore album Shadow Work/Light Work, out now via Pale Chord/Rise Records/BMG, alongside the music video for anthemic track ‘Kill The Light’.
This is RAMzine’s first time hearing Holy Wars, and we like what we’re hearing. ‘Kill The Light’ is one of those tracks that captures frustration well, especially when listening to it accompanied by the video. Screaming at the bus stop. Relatable, honestly.
Shadow Work/Light Work is a concept record on grief and overcoming trauma, split into two halves that represent the powerful duality of light and dark. The Shadow Work side contains the heaviest material of their career to date, while the Light Work side delivers some of their most tender, uplifting and melodically rich compositions. The result is an album that asks you to feel everything.
For vocalist Kat Leon, the album is deeply personal. She explained: “The concept behind Shadow Work/Light Work is taking the grief and trauma of losing my parents ten years ago, and looking at how hard that has actually been for me. I have almost held onto that grief as armor for a long time. Then, after my sister passed away in 2024, it instantly brought me right back to that shadow mindset and darkness. However, instead of being trapped in it, I used it as a way of healing through writing. Ultimately, you have to confront the darkest parts of yourself, even the parts that you are unwilling to look at. Only then can you eventually find the light.”
‘Kill The Light’, co-written by Josh Gilbert of Spiritbox, is an incendiary barn burner with soaring melodic choruses, snappy guitar riffs, electronic flourishes and uptempo drums. Leon described it as an apology to the younger self, the one who believed in something better.
Holy Wars have been building serious momentum over the past year, performing at Download Festival UK, Rock im Park and Rock am Ring, touring with Kittie across Europe, and joining Evanescence for a one-off show alongside Poppy. This summer, they’ll appear at Warped Tour in Long Beach, Washington D.C. and Orlando.
