Awakening the World

One thing that needs to be known right off the bat is that “Heart of Storm” may very well be the greatest Europower track ever written. Like, ever. Everything about this song is right on the money! On top of the palm muting are some leads that transition over to this tiny drum solo before THE MAN Daniel Heiman – second only to Hansi Kursch in terms of vocals – opens up with a scream which leads into his sublime vocal lines that deliver the song’s lyrics with such airtight precision that it ought to be criminal. Just the way he times his higher registers, the utilization of his other notes, the rhythm carried by his vocals – basically, when it comes to vocals, this song has it made! Especially at the end, but we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. Honestly, there’s not a lot on the riffs front, but the guitar and drum combo does give the song momentum with some energetic picks and beats. But holy shit man, that solo in the middle! Wojtek Lisicki definitely has some chops when it comes to the shred game. After that part, another verse, another chorus, and then that ending scream I mentioned before. Coupled with the thunderstorm, the song goes out with a blaze of glory, cementing itself as the quintessential Europower track alongside such classics as “I Want Out” and “FullMoon”. A thunderous cavalcade of everything Europower!

Unfortunately, Awakening the World suffers from a similar problem that Megadeth’s Endgame does – that is, it’s only got a few really good songs and the rest is filler, but those songs are positioned in a way that the hype stays throughout the entire album. In this case, “Heart of Storm” and “Sworn in the Metal Wind” play right after the intro track, and “Welcome Back” plays near the end. The second song – the most metal post-break up song ever written – has some pretty sweet vocal melodies from Heiman that give the song plenty of punch. Lisicki puts a bit more into the riffs here and the solo really rips and tears towards the end with some crazy neo-classical shredding. I’d say that Lost Horizon is at their best when they just let it rip with the energetic palm muting and drumming while Heiman’s vocals weave some serious tapestry. “Welcome Back” – shiiiit, this right here is their bread and butter with its highly uplifting composition backed up by some particularly technical drumming and bass – and, of course, Lisicki’s soloing and Heiman’s glorious vocals. Given its place in the tracklist, it’s a very appropriate name for the song. When Lost Horizon are out here doing this sort of stuff, the music is genuinely lively and engaging.

But honestly, the rest of this album just kind of happens. If not for Heiman’s vocals, “World Through My Fateless Eyes” and “Denial of Fate” pass on by and do very little of any consequence. Thanks to some bland ordinary riffs, more subdued drumming and solos that aren’t quite so blistering, their melodies don’t really stick out in any particular way. That goes double for the mid-paced “Perfect Warrior” as it just plods on through and that Zakk Wylde pinch does it even less favors. But yeah, you got these mid-paced or sort of fast-paced songs playing out and it’s all okay background noise I guess, but where’s the spark? Where’s the flame? Did it burn out a couple of songs in and we have to wait for a refire? Okay then.

Oh, but surely, it at least ends on a good note, right? Ehh kind of? “The Kingdom of My Will” has some similar problems in that it’s just all dialled back, and the fact that it’s 9 minutes long means that this is going to be a long, unsatisfying ride. Interestingly, you could scan through any snippet of this track and probably enjoy it. The bell chime at the beginning signalling the arrival of an epic; the vocals over some plodding mid-paced riff; that highly melodic chorus; that part where he’s going “today is the day” over and over and then he inexplicably adds in a “HEY! YO!”; that fucking terrific part kicking off the last third where they go balls out by upping the overall pace while Lisicki solos his heart out – like, there’s a good song in here somewhere, you just have to get through quite a bit of fat to get to it.

It’s weird how this got USPM fans listening – like, on a very fundamental level, it makes sense as it’s like a mix of Europower and German power metal. But it’s more like you’re putting together the airy riffs from Europower and taking the Germans’ no-nonsense approach to it. It’s like getting a mermaid who’s got the fish part for its head. I guess it’s the lack of keyboards? The solos? Heiman’s god-like vocals? Gotta give it to them, though, they’re a power metal band during the 2000s that knew they weren’t Blind Guardian or Kamelot and thus they didn’t put in a ballad – they’re already not quite so good on the mid-paced stuff, I’d hate to see them go slow. When Lost Horizon try to play more “normal” power metal, dull and boring instrumentals are carried by soaring vocals. But when Lost Horizon all but throw caution to the wind, they put together some banner fucking great music.

But if there’s anything that this album truly gets right, it’s the track ordering. It’s a massive stroke of genius. Having two genuinely exciting songs precede a quick ambient intermission before three lame songs before an exciting song before an “epic” that’s half good half droning can feel more like an album all full of genuinely top-tier power metal to make all the Iced Earths and Blind Guardians of the world go home and cry to their mommas. Who cares that three of the songs are nothing more than pleasant background noise when just before are balls out upbeat and exciting power metal? Just don’t listen to the three tracks on their own! That’s the best way to enjoy this album; as a whole. You’ve got the catchier-than-cholera songs and you’ve got the... well, background noise. The trick is to just let the good songs carry you through, lest you get bored and listen to something else before “Welcome Back” comes on.