This is the second album from Hamburgers Lord Of The Lost and for those that like dark and atmospheric music it quickly establishes itself as a real treat. You can tell the mark of a good album when you are singing along to the rich melodic songs on just a second or third listens and Antagony really got its bite into me quickly. Set up by gorgeous and lush Preludium it is evident that crooner Chris “The Lord” Harms has a rich voice flowing with emotion and yearning and musically they have already packed more into a mere intro piece than many bands manage on an entire album.
Calling this Gothic metal is selling it a bit short as there are many elements going on. There are symphonic arrangements lurking moodily around things and then there are straight up numbers such as the tongue in cheek ‘Sex On Legs’ invoking the mood of everyone from Depeche Mode to the shock rock beat of Marilyn Manson. There are elements of a more extreme nature to be found, although the vocals are generally laid down floating on a rich baritone wavelength, screams and harsher yells are sometimes used and the musicianship is prone to go into overdrive and kick up a storm when it feels the mood is right. There are times I am reminded a bit of The Deathstars, ‘Fragmenting Façade’ being a case in point due to the electronic bounce and the use of vocorder effects and I can see this lot going down a storm supporting them in Germany. Luckily there is plenty more depth to things though and whereas the Swedes are prone to keep up the one idea and employ it throughout an entire album LOTL have plenty more tricks up their collective sleeves.
Occasionally a song will come out of nowhere and completely blow you away. ‘Love Is Not Enough’ may well be essentially a slow warming ballad but it is one that should melt anyone who hears it and is pure indulgence and appetite to seduction. By contrast we have the slam dunk battery of ‘Undead Or Alive’ which has death metal elements mixed up with the fierce electronic soundclash bristling through it; “sex death and rock n’ roll indeed.” As we move towards the end in absolutely no hurry, the “strong songs” the biog mentioned come thick and fast, each and every one seeming to be trying to outdo its already formidable predecessor. ‘Seven Days Of Avarin’ whatever or whoever Avarin is, has the scope to be a smash hit with its both maudlin and upbeat melodies. Throwing in some jagged electric violin (by the sounds of it) just adds to the numbers already strong dimensions. Penultimate tune ‘Revelation 13-18’ keeps the tempo up for an epic 10 plus minutes and outdoes all previous choruses with one that will be in your head for a week after one listen.
The one problem I have here is that this is completely addictive stuff and for a 68 minute album that’s all a bit too dangerous for a music reviewer. Well done Lord Of The Lost, you have now been found!
http://www.myspace.com/lordofthelost
