Zac Martin | Copy Editor

1/25/02

With a battery of musical styles, Lostprophets (yes it’s all one word) arrive with their debut album "The Fake Sound of Progress."

In a music scene dominated by the ‘horrible childhood’ moaning of Staind and Linkin Park-type bands, Lostprophets are a breath of fresh air. A bombastic mix of hardcore, metal, and drum-n-bass hides songs about real emotions and feelings. The sextet, hailing from about 12 miles south of the birthplace of Tom Jones in the UK, starts off by taking a jab at themselves with the title of the album. "The Fake Sound of Progress" is intended as a jab at the collective egos of bands who claim loudly that they are bringing a new type of sound and breaking musical barriers, yet sounding exactly like everything else. Lostprophets, according to vocalist Ian, decided upon the title to keep their own egos in check.

Despite the band’s best attempts, this debut album definitely brings something new into the mix, whether intentionally or just by coincidence. The eclectic influence of the band shines through in the album’s opener "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" begins with a heavy guitar riff and thundering drums and slides effortlessly into a very syncopated chorus signified by vocalist Ian’s aggressively melodic voice. This formula sticks for most of the album with very aggro-melodic portions falling into very techno-like rhythms. The songs vary greatly, though, from this formula on tracks like "Kobrakai" and "Five is a Four Letter Word" to the very harsh "The Handsome Life of Swing."

The album, which has earned rave reviews from such notable underground publications such as "Kerrang!" and "NME" who’ve both called the band "the next big thing," and "a band poised on the edge of greatness." It is definitely worth looking into!