Dark Metal sensation LORD OF THE LOST returns with the newest epos in their classic ensemble album series: the long-awaited successor of Swan Songs II, Swan Songs III will be released via Napalm Records on August 7th, 2020. The standard version of the album consists of new songs, all recorded with The Lord Of The Lost Ensemble and new versions of a hand-picked selection of LORD OF THE LOST classics, including the standout 18-minute-long song “Letters To Home”.
If you can record once an album like this it’s amazing, twice even more, but 3 times? That’s simply awesome! Let us discover together the magnitude of this new opus! As most of the songs are new I decided to approach it as a complete new album with complete new tracks and try to forget about the background of some classics.
CD1:
They start with a piano and the deep voice of Chris Harms. For now the orchestral manoeuvres are bit set back in the back, but the dramatic feel of this song is strong: A splintered Mind is a very strong song.
A One Ton Heart is sung with a heavy heart and a drunken feeling. You can feel the melancholia, the desperation and the weight on a man’s heart. It’s an incredible feel!
Dying On The Moon (Feat. Joy Frost) is a cool duet and I honestly hope we can hear more of them as their voices blend in. Actually: their voices are a match made in heaven!
Zunya sounds like a pirate singing over his long lost love, sunk during a storm to the bottom of the sea (for sure thanks to the extra backings). Unfeel has a clear Spanish or a Mexican touch. It almost feels like Zorro unveiling his love. Deathless has a lot of pathos in it, without going too far in it. I adore the piano and more fragile parts of the song. The strings give it some wings. More into the classic ensemble approach is Agape. A more powerful track is Hurt Again where the emotions reign and where the balance between the vocals, the ensemble and the regular instruments is well balanced. The grand piano part is just magistral! Amber is a very romantic track with an acoustic touch. Back to melancholia with We Were Young (Feat Heaven Can Wait Chor). 4’33” is a cool joke and in fact a cover version of a John Cage track. Spoiler: it’s silence! Dying On The Moon (Joyless Version) gives us a darker version. Last track on the first CD is We Were Young (Feat Heaven Can Wait Chor) brings us a new version, but as I love both it’s hard to tell which one is the strongest one. Fact is that it’s a great closing track!
CD1:
They start with a piano and the deep voice of Chris Harms. For now the orchestral manoeuvres are bit set back in the back, but the dramatic feel of this song is strong: A splintered Mind is a very strong song. A One Ton Heart is sung with a heavy heart and a drunken feeling. You can feel the melancholia, the desperation and the weight on a man’s heart. It’s an incredible feel! Dying On The Moon (Feat. Joy Frost) is a cool duet and I honestly hope we can hear more of them as their voices blend in. Actually: their voices are a match made in heaven! Zunya sounds like a pirate singing over his long lost love, sunk during a storm to the bottom of the sea (for sure thanks to the extra backings). Unfeel has a clear Spanish or a Mexican touch. It almost feels like Zorro unveiling his love. Deathless has a lot of pathos in it, without going too far in it. I adore the piano and more fragile parts of the song. The strings give it some wings. More into the classic ensemble approach is Agape. A more powerful track is Hurt Again where the emotions reign and where the balance between the vocals, the ensemble and the regular instruments is well balanced. The grand piano part is just magistral! Amber is a very romantic track with an acoustic touch. Back to melancholia with We Were Young (Feat Heaven Can Wait Chor). 4’33” is a cool joke and in fact a cover version of a John Cage track. Spoiler: it’s silence! Dying On The Moon (Joyless Version) gives us a darker version. Last track on the first CD is We Were Young (Feat Heaven Can Wait Chor) brings us a new version, but as I love both it’s hard to tell which one is the strongest one. Fact is that it’s a great closing track!
CD2:
This CD contains new versions of the classic tracks. First one is Loreley (I can still hear the original, however I really did my best to forget about it). The fact that the song still stands means it’s a great track! Next is Morgana where the piano and the strings reign. I feel the pathos. I think Wagner would have been very pleased if they would ask him to conduct this one. Black Halo sounds almost like ready for an opera. The melancholia reigns. The classic approach makes it also fit for a soundtrack. Cut Me Out sounds like a weeping song. The strings dance with the piano, like gentleman: one shuts down when the other one speaks. I love the dramatic feel and again it feels like performed during a play with actors around Chris Harms. A gentle approach steps by with In Silence: lead by an acoustic guitar and a piano before the vocals gives it a dramatic feel (backed up by the strings). Seven Days Of Anavrin feels like written this way as everything feels so fitting. I really love the melody and the way the music is recorded! My Heart Is Black could have been used in The Vikings series (for sure the 5th season). I adore the drama in it, the pathos and the putting out of the emotions in a very melancholic way. The most epic track comes in the end: Letters To Home. The way this song is recorded feels as written the way it is and makes it the perfect end for a great album! Can’t wait to see it on stage as it will be aired the 8th of august!
LORD OF THE LOST live:
Record Release Show (worldwide streaming):
08.08.20 www - Record Release Show
Tickets:
https://shop.lordofthelost.de/
Creating tracks for a classic ensemble demands a lot of passion and talent, transforming metal tracks into a more classic ensemble approach demands even more! I must say that this album is simply fantastic! I’m sure it will get lots of fans listening to it and maybe even get new fans for it! Job more than well done!
