This is the most recent thing to arrive by mail, and it's just pure dumb luck and the failure of others to match the genres we cover
(being a noisy alternative guitar band with screamo vocals does not fit the bill here) that put this one in the CD player today.
History Of Guns is a metamodern cross-genre British outfit with an accent on dark electro-industrial, and a long history going all
the way back to 1996 with the creative partnership of Del Alien and Max Rael. 'Half Light' is their self-released 7th album, with previous efforts being released on labels such as The Liquid Len Recording Company and Line Out Records. While not necessarily a concept album, 'Half Light' was conceived "to create a strange alternative world where people can feel safe, particularly late at night when the world feels bleak. (And the world feels bleak a lot of time these days.) Yet through this darkness there remains underneath a core of hope."

I get the impression History Of Guns has been seriously overlooked here in the U.S., not just because I’ve never heard of them before
(there are a lot of happening groups I'm totally ignorant about), but also have never seen anything written on them, or found them on any
compilations. 'Half Light' is not what you'd call "dancefloor industrial" (their previous album, 'Forever Dying In Your Eyes' was more along those lines), but this is definitely a lot more conceptual and genre bending; in fact there are tracks such as "Survive the Night" which don't sound electro-industrial at all, with only voice and acoustic guitar. The opener, "No Longer Earthbound" is a steadily hypnotic, seething industrial track with familiar old school synths. "Never Give It Up" which follows puts the "oontz" back in the beat still steeped in old school. There's a change of pace in "All You Dream (You Can Never Have)" but still kinda old school electro-industrial. "What's Buried (Will Rise)" is reminiscent of acts like Front 242, Gridlock, Snog, Birmingham 6, and others along those lines.

Things change on "Flashes of Light (Part 5)" which is sort of a continuation of the first four parts of that track on History Of Guns' debut album, 'Flashes Of Light'. It opens with a philosophical recitation that goes on for well over a minute before the beat comes in, and even when it does, the story continues. Numerous esoteric points are brought forth and considered, before devolving into some kind of sing-song hypnotic rhapsody. The ravings of a madman, or something more profound? Who can say? (I found the self-medicate" section particularly amusing.) Towards the end it picks up steam with locomotive breath on the percussion but ends somewhat abruptly. After a couple of interesting tracks, we get to "Drug Castle" where the recitation/monologue becomes even more predominant than before. It's almost like a narrated story...but not really. The music becomes ambient atmosphere for the mad raving. Lunacy? The devolution of society? Who can say! After the brief and aforementioned "Survive the Night" it all ends with "An Invitation," a 9:22 serious piano-based track with dialogues/monologues about pain, depression, death and dying, but also with some uplifting thoughts at the end. Although I liked most of the album a lot, the last track was just way too long and indulgent. I can see what History Of Guns was going for, but it took far longer than necessary to get there. If anything, 'Half Light' makes me want to go back and explore some of their previous works.