Terminus A Single Point of Light

Mixed and mastered by Richard Whittaker (Solstice) and with artwork created by Anaïs Mulgrew, A Single Point of Light represents the logical next step in the music development of the Northern Ireland epic metallers. Their brand of twisting, sometimes complex, but always effective metal does not lend itself to one particular era or sonic reference point. Instead, Terminus songs are often mini-journeys onto themselves, a regular confluence of spiraling riff changes, guitar harmony duels and Beattie's emotive vocals. The A Single Point of Light album title stems from the song Mhira, Tell Me the Nature of Your Existence, where the main character had her consciousness digitally preserved upon death. Gillespie compares it to how a blind person who was once sighted still sees in their dreams; the mind will process stimuli and thoughts as images to represent them. The Single Point of Light in the title and the song itself is the outside world communicating with her which she perceives as a singularity amongst darkness. A Single Point of Light is split between the album's first three standalone tracks, and the concept that ties together the final four songs and relates to the album title. The album's lyrics and concept benefit from the longstanding partnership between Gillespie and Beattie -- the two men have known each other for 20 years and have spent the last eight in Terminus, using each other as a sounding board for the science fiction themes that are so critical to the band's overall vision. Their work ethic and commitment to the final product is unquestioned: We've spent many, many hours with him standing in front of a microphone and me in front of a computer screen, says Gillespie. Now strictly a studio act, Terminus has continued to carve their own indelible path on A Single Point of Light, an album of infinite possibilities and conceptual intrigue.