Ah, Eurovision.
That strangest of competitions where coming last can be as much of a badge of honour as winning.
Voted overwhelmingly to represent their country by the German public, flamboyant gothic/industrial/glam metal act Lord of the Lost eventually went on to finish dead last in the annual and often surreal song contest, but gained thousands of new fans in the process.
Following up their Eurovision appearance with a hugely successful trek across Europe
supporting Iron Maiden, the band now close out 2023 with cover album Weapons of Mass Seduction (Napalm Records) in an effort to truly make it the most memorable of years.
Opening with Billy Idol‘s “Shock to the System”, LOTL deliver a beefed-up version that suits the band down to the ground. Vocalist Chris Harms might lack Idol’s lip-curling, snarky attitude but the results are still highly effective.
Up next is “Unstoppable” by Sia, the song used in a seemingly unending amount of TikTok videos is improved upon here to no end. Harms’s voice is far less irritating than the Aussie singer’s wobbly nasal histrionics and the lyrics are actually decipherable this time.
“Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat is a great choice that once again suits the band perfectly while despite Harms’s voice being so deep; Judas Priest‘s “Turbo Lover” actually turns out pretty well.
“Hymn”, the 1982 single by new wave synth pop act Ultravox sounds great, but “Give In To Me” by Michael Jackson and Slash will always sound like “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow” by Suicidal Tendencies no matter how many times you hear it. A decent cover for sure, but only the superb guitar solo really shines, the rest of the track disappointingly restrained.
“River”, the 2018 single by Bishop Briggs (a.k.a. Sarah Grace McLaughlin) is a moody crawl which delivers its punches in all the right places while “Somewhere Only We Know” by the excruciatingly dreary Keane is one of those turgid guitar ballads often used in U.S. TV dramas, and despite a slight improvement here the chorus still remains the only memorable part.
Cutting Crew‘s 1986 hit “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” features German singer songwriter Anica Russo and sounds exactly as you would expect it to, as does “High” by U.S. singer Zella Day.
The same can also be said for “House On A Hill” by The Pretty Reckless, an anemic ballad that ends the album on a somewhat downbeat note.
Although clearly performed very well, the main issue with this particular selection of covers is that you can virtually picture each song in your head before you even hear it, and for the majority of the time – for good or for bad – that’s exactly what you get.
Otherwise, Weapons of Mass Seduction stands as an enjoyably solid covers album that contains some very intriguing choices.
And if that isn’t enough, there are two other versions of the album available where the band take on songs like “The Look” by Roxette, “Judas” by Lady Gaga, “Children of the Damned” by Iron Maiden, “It’s a Sin” by Pet Shop Boys, “Starman” by David Bowie, and even “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night” by The Electric Prunes.
Buy the album here:
https://lordofthelost.de/
7 / 10
GARY ALCOCK