Lord of the Lost is back with OPVS NOIR Vol. 1 (Napalm Records)  which is a grandiose take on Metal that feels like it’s gotten bigger this time around. Midway into the opening track, you can hear how they ae moving up the bill on European festivals with this album. This album comes on the heels of opening slots for Iron Maiden, which forced them to step up their game. They have not dumbed things down for an American audience, so you are either into this or you are not. Yes, the harsher vocals might appeal a little more to Western audiences, but they’re only one aspect. 

The brooding verses of “My Sanctuary” flirt with a goth-leaning sound, though its upbeat, anthemic declaration feels like something the 69 Eyes might have done. Sharon den Adel from Within Temptation lends her voice to “Light Can Only In the Darkness,” bringing a symphonic metal sound to the forefront, which becomes the dominant element of the overall sound. By the time we get to “Moonstruck” -the Euro-elements bring a more theatrical flair.  

“Damage” finds the symphonic elements colliding with the more industrial influence, conjuring the image of  VNV Nation jamming with Dimmu Borgir. The big string sound creates a less flowery ambiance here. Chris Harms is one of the better singers to rise in prominence in recent years. “Lords of Fyre” sounds like they wrote this with Andrew Loyd Weber for a Folk Metal musical. Here, it seems clear that this album is the most metallic thing they have done in some time.  

Predictably from the title alone, “The Things We Do Love” starts as more of a ballad. When the drums kick into the verse, it works much better, and Harms’s vocal phrasing is interesting to redeem the song of its sappier elements. “The Sadness In Everything” touches too closely into the sonic neighborhood of Nightwish, keeping it from feeling dark or heavy, but like something from a more aggressive Disney musical. The last song carries a similar drama, but is balanced with darker moods. To their credit, this is an ambitious album, with emotive qualities that will appeal to their fan base and wider mainstream Rock audiences. What this album is not is Goth; it’s dressed up for perhaps the Disney version of Halloween, but with none of the true outsider qualities that came from the genre’s Punk roots. Now that that is cleared up, these guys should be commended for making the album they set out to make, as it will click with them in the fashion intended, a similar demographic that the new Ghost album also clicked with, ask don’t ask any of them who Rozz Williams is as they won’t have a clue. Nor do they need to, as this band has built its sonic world for them to escape into. 

Buy the album here:
https://lnk.to/LOTL-OPVSNOIR

8 / 10
WIL CIFER
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