Awakening the World

Lost Horizon is a Swedish band that is commonly associated with the face paint that the members wear. There is so much focus on their image, so what about the music? Lost Horizon mix traditional metal of Iron Maiden gallop and of occasional Manowar vocal style of macho delivery with power metal elements.

Manowar influence is especially obvious on “Heart of Storm”, the way the song builds up with solid and tasty riffage, with a good helping of falsetto screams. It is the most aggressive song and is placed first. Well, second after the intro. Placing strong songs in the beginning is what you would expect from a debut, so let’s move on. One thing that bothers me is that what follows feels like a step down in intensity.

“World Through My Fateless Eyes”, feels like a weaker version of the opener with some riffs getting recycled. Then vocal style changes to HammerFall and not much happens apart from standard power metal until “Welcome Back”, which is another highlight due to the return of intensity, a guitar driven catchy headbanger. It is the most original song and the best on the album. Starting off as a ballad, if it stayed a ballad it would rank as one of the top ballads in power metal. It switches a gear with a timely double bass assault, that is not overpowering, and then it is beautiful to listen to the finely tuned monster that the song grows into. Lost Horizon obviously thought out this song well, from the way the vocals and solos blend with the riffs it is all planned out so that you may never need to stop your headbanging. Until next song. It is another step down, this time significantly more painful.

“The Kingdom of My Will” is the closing epic, I suppose, at 9.15 except it is bland in every way except the solos towards the end. This song, as opposed to one preceding it, does not make any sense to me, as soon as it begins to gets your attention and transcends mediocrity, the instruments slow down again for some reason. Every epic power metal closer needs to have blistering parts and slower instrumental parts so that the listener can grasp the contrast and be left in awe at the unfolding story, this one does not, as it just drags in pretty much same mode. The final track is 1.41 of silence; there may be something there except it is not audible.

Lost Horizon is a band that has flashes brilliance and is worth checking out for that reason, instead of listening to the last two tracks just listen to Welcome Back two more times.