Brooklyn power trio Sanhedrin do metal the old school way, channeling the greats that preceded them to create something that is instantly familiar yet with a new, modern energy to it. With 2019’s The Poisoner they branched out, exploring new avenues and hitting home with every effort, all the while staying true to themselves. Now they return with Lights On, their most accomplished effort to date. “We want to satisfy ourselves with music that we are proud to present to the world. That’s the overall plan with every record we have made,” states vocalist/bassist Erica Stoltz. Adds drummer Nathan Honor, “hoping it would likely reach the widest audience of any of our work thus far, it was important that we further refined our sound and pulled out all the stops. These songs are a collection of feelings of loss, uncertainty, hope, fear, anger and a deep examination of the human condition. The music draws from our deep and varied influences and is presented in a fashion that is unabashedly Sanhedrin.”

With heavyweight opener “Correction” lyrically referencing the global pandemic of 2020-21, it is safe to say that recent events played a large part in shaping the record. Not only did it prevent the band members from working together on the new songs, forcing them to work remotely and bounce files between them, it had a powerful emotional impact that drew them closer together. “Like everyone on Earth, we lost a lot of things that mattered to us in 2020,” says guitarist Jeremy Sosville. “I lost my mother due to cancer and was not able to say goodbye to her in the hospital because of pandemic restrictions. For me personally, the bond I share with my bandmates and the music we were working on for this album was essential to getting me through what turned out to be the worst year of many people’s lives, including my own.” The result of their efforts is a diverse collection with no two songs sounding quite alike without stepping outside of the Sanhedrin sound. “I think of it as a collection of songs that reflects our vast diversity of inspiration. Each song is its own experience and soundscape, while staying true to being part of a cohesive collection,” says Sosville, and elaborates Honor, “we just write music we want to hear. Having such varied tastes, we end up with songs that touch different parts of our influences. As a 3-piece band it can be hard to be dynamic, so we strive to keep things interesting while staying true to ourselves.”