Writer's Block and the Lostprophets

So I think the ice wall of writer's block is starting to melt...few ideas came to me last night; had a nice dream about the Apocalypse that will translate well into text. Yes, that's a huge-ass teaser right there, that is.

Through Darkness And Stars is a much more grim tale than The Unearthing...see, while that one had a generally optimistic conclusion, the fact is there are always consequences to actions. As the Ship commences its journey back to the League of Worlds, there are repercussions. Those of you who've read the six-chapter preview of the second installment may already sense it; there are a lot of things that can go wrong...

But some things did go right this week, and while they did, I was listening to the latest from the Lostprophets. I don't know if they helped me get over my writer's block, but when I did get over it, I was listening to them, at the time. Here's what I thought about their new album, as told for CONFRONT MAGAZINE:


As far as Indie Brit Rock goes, it doesn’t get better than Lostprophets. They and the Arctic Monkeys rule the sound right now, and the Sound is Good.

‘Betrayed’, Lostphrphets’ fourth album opens with a killer, “If It Wasn’t For Hate We’d Be Dead By Now”. Incorporating elements of Techno Rock, ambient sound samples to bridge between tracks, they create an even flow from one song to the next.

Ian Watkins, the band’s lead singer, describes ‘Betrayed’ as a darker and “nastier” album. In the process, they’ve created a solid rocker well worth the three year wait and multiple launch and production delays. The sound varies from track to track; for example, “It’s Not The End Of The World But I Can See It From Here” sounds more like a post-Grunge Rocker than Brit Rock. Still an awesome track, but it demonstrates quite a range in style. Likewise, “For He’s A Jolly Good Felon” also stands out for its Ska-like nuances. The whole album offers a power and variety that’s unusual in current Rock releases; most of the time these days Rock artists run with a theme or two and call it a day.

One oddity that I rather liked was a couple of instrumental sequences on the albums that are utterly out of place, here. The first of these sequences, a “Munsters” sounding piece of creep-rock, appears on the tail end of “For He’s A Jolly Good Felon”. The second appears as a hidden track on the end of the last song of the album, “The Light That Burns Twice As Bright”. Confusing that they’re there, and sound utterly unlike the rest of the album, but in a good way.
I don’t think anyone, new or returning fans of Lostprophets, will feel in any way betrayed by ‘Betrayed’. Quite the opposite in fact, I think this one is a promise fulfilled.

Lostprophets: Betrayed
Sony
Steve’s Rating: 9/10