Lostprophets – The Betrayed

Releasedate: 13-01-2010; Label: Visible Music (UK), Sony Music (USA)
By: Nina Mende

Lostprophets are a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist (later guitarist) Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. Since their formation, Lostprophets have released four studio albums and three EPs, most recently releasing The Betrayed on 13 January 2010.

The new album is very diversified in styles. It takes quite many listens to actually hear and discover all the sounds Lostprophets put into this album. The first song is a plain rock song, the rhythm is easy. The second song has a nice balance between shouting and singing, the riffs are very catchy. Chorus and bridge have something anthem-like. I am sure this song will be amazing live. “It’s Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here” is very catchy and simply get you going along. The chorus is easy to sing along as well. The bass line after the chorus will definitely get stuck in your head. “Where We Belong” reminds a lot of a The Killers song in the intro, but it still has the typical Lostprophets sound when it continues. This one is slower and more emotional than the previous ones. “Next Stop, Atro City” is faster and has more of a punk sound, a great song to jump and mosh along. All songs on this album are great for getting stuck in your head, and also great to sing and dance along. Lostprophets made it again and created a wonderful album for us. Not afraid to use piano and soft singing, “A Better Nothing” is one of the touchiest songs on the album, it goes deep and the great rhythm also gets you moving along. There are also ballads on this album. As I said in the beginning, on “The Betrayed” you can find many different styles combined, many different elements put into the sound and you will need to listen to the album a couple times to find them all. You can tell how much effort and passion the band put into this album. “The Betrayed” is more than just plain music, it is art.

Tracklist: 01. If It Wasn’t for Hate, We’d Be Dead by Now 02. Dstryr/Dstryr 03. It’s Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here 04. Where We Belong 05. Next Stop, Atro City 06. For He’s a Jolly Good Felon 07. A Better Nothing 08. Streets of Nowhere 09. Dirty Little Heart 10. Darkest Blue 11. The Light That Shines Twice as Bright…

Links:
Lostprophets MySpace
Lostprophets Official