A Flame to the Ground Beneath

Lost Horizon may very well be one of the most tragic bands to ever come around in the metal scene. Forming as early as 1990 under the Highlander moniker, the band would release two albums in the early 2000s that were highly praised. But when Daniel Heiman and Fredrik Olsson left the band to form Heed in 2004, the band would be on hold, and to this day, remain with a third album waiting to be recorded until they can find a new vocalist. Though things seem rather bleak for the band, I still love the few releases they have, with the second outing in particular being something I hold dearly to this day.

We begin with a two minute ambient intro titled "Transdimensional Revelation", a simple, yet neat little space ambient track that does a decent job at setting up the atmosphere for the album. It's from the next track "Pure" that things truly start going great. The guitars themselves are easily the best part of the instrumentals, mainly with just how well the riffs are written. They mainly play some melodic and upbeat riffs that not only sound great, but feel genuine and authentic. A lot of power metal albums fall under a trap of going overboard with the melodic riffs, which ends up making the whole thing sound cheesy and bloated. Here, the guitars have the right amount of pride and triumph, but at the same don't go too overboard. The same can be said to the drums and bass, as both pieces serve as an excellent companion piece towards the guitars, and the complex drumming neat bass play fit perfectly towards the nightly melodic atmosphere of the track. Even the keyboards, while subtle in the mix, is still great at showcasing the spatial tone of the track. As great as Pure is, it's tracks like "Lost in the Depths of Me", "Cry of a Restless Soul", and "Highlander (The One)" that remain not just my favorites from the band, but some of my all-time favorites from power metal with how triumphant and epic the riffs are. Whether it be the metal tracks or the ambient interludes, all the instruments are packed with melodic passion that'll keep you engaged.

The vocals are also fantastic. Daniel Heiman's vocals on both Lost Horizon records are great, but I personally find the vocals on this album to be a bit better. Daniel goes all out on his melodic singing on this album, which not only sound beautiful, but are perfect for this type of album. A great example of this would be in the track "Cry of a Restless Soul". Given the epic nature of this track, Daniel's singing not only flows well with the upbeat tempo, but elevates the story of powering through a storm. As great as the instruments are, it's hard to deny that Daniel's vocals not only help carry many of the tracks, but are easily his peak in terms of his vocal performance.

Even the lyrics are great. Lost Horizon's lyrics mainly deal with themes of self-empowerment and confidence, which are executed beautifully in this album. One example of this is in "Think Not Forever", where the chorus quotes:

If you think forever
Things will never change
When you find your sense again
You should follow its way
If you think forever
It is hard to see
When you find you truly believe
You should follow your spirit as your guide

Here, Daniel argues that things will not change for the better if you're focused on the "forever" part of life, and instead suggests following your own instincts to lead the way. The way the verse is written feels genuine and even a bit powerful, and you feel as though the songwriters want readers to focus on their own spirit in overcoming their challenges. It's especially the case in lines like "I have changed how to be, but it still is me", as even though he's changed his ways, he still remains himself, which I think is pretty neat. Given the positivity around the lyrics, the upbeat instrumentals and melodic singing is not only fitting, but only heightens the arguments for self-improvement. Compared to most other power metal lyrics focusing more on fantasy and adventure, the album's songwriting on believing in yourself is not only written well, but is also authentic in terms of its advice.

While their debut "Awakening the World" was a great record, I'd argue that "A Flame to the Ground Beneath" basically took what the former album did and only improved upon it even further. The instrumentals are as perfect as you can get with this type of power metal, the singing is well done, and the empowering lyrics only put the cherry on top of this remarkable record. While it seems like the chances of getting a new Lost Horizon record dwindles down year after year, perhaps we should instead focused on what the band did in their short lifespan. If you haven't had the chance to check this album out, then I would highly recommend doing so ASAP, as it truly is something you have to hear to believe.