A Flame To The Ground Beneath

Well guys, if you thought that True / Power Metal was reaching its limit lately, then clearly you don't know yet a band called Lost Horizon. The now 6 (2 members were added from the original quartet line-up) Metal heroes are about to change the history of Melodic Metal as we know it. Never before did music touches me so much, for the exception of X-Japan maybe. But Lost Horizon did it, they delivered a second atomic bomb : powerful enough to spread melodic music particles throughout the universe and beyond !! I must be dreaming, I really must ! I've once made the fatal mistake to compare these guys to Hammerfall, never again....cause compared to this album, Crimson Thunder sounds like a very bad joke. Hammerfall may have saved the metal scene at one point, but Lost Horizon is redefining the rules of power and melody, getting better and better with each song they play. A near perfect production, a singer that is so talented that I struggle to understand how he's actually doing it. And having seen him live (Wacken 2001 & this was by far one of the best show), I can tell you this guy is a natural talent. He's reaching high notes like no one else, but he's so powerful and on this album he's also confirming his versatility as a singer (using a wider range than the previous opus). On this album he's simply on fire, his high pitch cries are absolutely perfect and vary a lot, unlike many singers around who can reach high notes by forcing themselves and sounding light or thin. Once again, I must kneel to the guitar work of this album, it simply blows away everything I've listened to these last few years guitar-wise. Powerful heavy riffing that splits the Earth in two, perfect melodies making angels dance and twirl high up in the sky, highly technical and melodic solos to drive your soul crazy and open a rift through time and space itself : giving you a glimpse of what musical paradise would sound like ! Songs are quite different from one another, although they're almost all very powerful and fast (with some calm moments and transitions), no slows or ballad here, but 3 instrumental tracks. A intro and outro and one in the middle of the album to calm things down a bit. 6 full songs (but long and epic), 6 jewels that take their place in the history of metal as instant classics. Song-writing is simply not of this world, very advanced, mixing heaviness and melody like never before. Forget the usual clichés and squareness of power metal as per song composition (except for a few bands of course), this doesn't mean anything anymore here. You want progression, melody, power and an epic level to conquer the universe : look no more... Lost Horizon is all that and much more. Their music lifts the soul ! It sure lifts mine... I never thought I would say this : but I finally found a band that exceeds my musical standards, transcend my soul to the next level of perfection... this band is called Lost Horizon. They already entered in my top-10 bands with their fantastic first album, they are now Number ONE ! I never though they'd be able to duplicate what they did on the first album in less than 2 years of work, boy I had no idea. Where other bands fail to get better with their second album, Lost Horizon conquers and proves to the world what they're made of. I cannot imagine what the third album could sound like, but I find it impossible to believe they could top this one... but if there's someone who can write a better album than this : it can only be Lost Horizon (there can be only one !). Once I saw a movie that redefined everything I believed in cinema-wise : that movie is "The Matrix", and to date it's my favorite movie ever... this album makes me the same effect : sending waves after waves of shivers down my spine while listening to it, filling my soul with positive energy and recharging my body like no other music can. I feel inspired only by listening to it : it makes me want to draw and sing as high as I can (the first one being okay, the second one will undoubtedly end up with some people throwing rotten tomatoes at me :), and I could not blame them... hehe). This album is due February 10th 2003, but already I'm sure it will be the best album this year... it's certainly one of the best albums I've ever heard. For all fans of melodic metal : this is a buy-or-die album !