Derby rockers, Lostalone are back
with their third album, ‘Shape Of Screams’. Recorded deep in the English
countryside, with forays into central London, the new album is a collection of
fears and doubts and hopes and dreams. We got our hands on a copy of the new
record before its release on April 7th.
Click below to find out what
we thought…
‘Crusaders’, in typical Lostalone fashion, begins melodically and tame before hurtling a hundred miles an
hour into a euphoric and eclectic call to arms. It hits full force and then as
soon as the track has begun the opener to ‘Shape Of Screams’ is over. Fear not,
for the thrashing opening of ‘The Bells! The Bells!!’ is in stark contrast to
the harmonious opening of the first track. If there was ever a sign that Lostalone were musically diverse it’s captured in the first three songs on the
record; each as different as its predecessor. ‘Hostages’ is over the top; huge
guitar solos are pitted alongside building verses and an anthemic chorus for
this unconventional ballad.
It is clear that ‘Shape Of Screams’ is about pushing boundaries, and
being genre ambiguous is at the heart of that; the band goes beyond that. The
new album, produced by Dan Weller who
produced Enter Shikari, Young Guns and Sharks is clearly aiming to be epic in
its genre defying tracks and definitely goes some way to making that happen.
Front man Steven Battelle states - “The threshold for greatness in rock music has been
diminished, diluted into a formulaic and soulless metallic buzz where the
completely generic is hailed as incredible. It was our responsibility to melody
to make this album as a first wave of the fight back.”
And fight back they do. ‘Shape Of Screams’ is a
theatrical whirlwind of gratuitous harmonies and melodies and huge hooks, yet
seamlessly pieces together to create a mammoth third album. ‘Guilty’ is over
the top, whilst ‘Apathy’ is pop-punk at its finest. New single, ‘Scarlet Letter
Rhymes’ is another fast paced, thrashy rock anthem with a chorus that soars. ‘I
Was Born To End This Way’ and ‘Doooooooooomageddon’ nail down the titled
pop-rock genre that Lostalone capture
so well. The not so sugary sweet bit hitters are the perfect close to the
record, before ‘Breathing In The Future Exhaling The Past’ finishes the album
off. The final song, or more instrumental anthem, brings ‘Shapes Of Screams’ to
an end in an almost musical epic finale. The record is certainly a journey and
one which takes its toll at times on the listener - purely for the fact that it
jumps so quickly between styles. However, Lostalone’s
musical talent is undeniable and surprisingly and outrageously infectious. 8/10
