LORD OF THE LOST

LORD OF THE LOST have become one of the biggest goth metal bands on the planet, with a huge following in their native Germany, and an increasing presence elsewhere. Recent albums have gone stratospheric at home, and an appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 did nothing to harm the band's international profile. Despite seldom standing out as potential heavyweights, LORD OF THE LOST have grabbed every opportunity and risen to the top through sheer force of will. Their music — expensive-sounding, electro-industrial metal grandeur with big, catchy choruses — has been consistent over the years, but they have yet to release an album that makes that international breakthrough a certainty. Two years on from "Weapons Of Mass Seduction", "Opvs Noir Vol. 1" seeks to redress the balance between renown and reality.

Far more firmly rooted in heavy metal than many of their ghostly faced peers, LORD OF THE LOST offer no compromises on their tenth studio album. They remain tethered to the same influences and inspirations, but something significant has shifted under the bonnet, and "Opvs Noir Vol. 1" is more easily identifiable as a great leap forward, from the bombastic angst of the opening "Bazaar Bizarre" alone. A flamboyant exercise in symphonic death metal with strong echoes of MOONSPELL's nocturnal restlessness, it hits levels of pomp and power only hinted at on previous albums. Normal service is resumed on "My Sanctuary": a goth rock stomper with a pulsing, disco underbelly, and audacious, pop key changes that may challenge the goth contingent's stringent no smiling rule. "Light Can Only Shine In The Darkness" is pure, symph-rock gold, with WITHIN TEMPTATION's Sharon Den Adel being predictably fabulous in a sultry duet with the Chris "The Lord" Harms; "I Will Die In It" is macabre, mid-tempo and wonderfully melodramatic, with shadowy choirs booming across the riffs.

The difference is subtle, but hard to ignore. LORD OF THE LOST are full of confidence and relishing the moment. "Moonstruck" is a feast of deadpan theatrics, orchestral self-indulgence, and the overwhelming vocal force of dark choir STIMMGEWALT; the lascivious, EBM throb of "Damage" is underscored by bright and burly riffs and many layers of piano-sodden melancholy; and "Lords Of Fyre" harnesses the musical might of fellow countrymen FEUERSCHWANZ, inspiring both bands to bring the heavy metal hammer down with a sinister flourish. Meanwhile, the laudably grim likes of "Ghosts" and "The Things We Do For Love" bring bittersweet sentiments to wild, dynamic and lavish arrangements, willfully pulling the very notion of the love song up by the roots.

The closing "Dreams Are Never Alone" is genuinely touching, and maybe even a little hopeful. Given how boldly LORD OF THE LOST have risen to this challenge, great expectations for the future seem weirdly appropriate. "Opvs Noir Vol. 1" is their finest, darkest achievement to date.