The Observer, September 22, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 4
Lostprophets cross the pond with Liberation Transmission
Move over Beatles: the American shores are being invaded yet again by a British band. Lostprophets, a Welsh band which fuses rock and metal, is currently on its third album, Liberation Transmission. Liberation Transmission rocked the British charts, easily taking the No. 1 position upon its release. This momentum continued as the band brought its record to our side of the pond. The album easily made the top 200, peaking at 33.
Liberation Transmission consists of 12 songs, each new and original. They deviate from the usual rock form by employing clever lyrics and slower tempos than usual hard rock songs. Lostprophets doesn't confine itself to just one style of music as some artists do, dabbling in several genres including pop, "alt-rock," hard rock, and metal. Lostprophets is no Metallica (even though they have the same producer as Metallica's Black Album ,Bob Rock), but their music is just as good. They play music their way, not conforming to the critiques of critics or demands of the media. They have started down their desired track and are determined to stick to it. "We didn't write a record for anybody else. We still write songs for ourselves without trying to predict what people will like," said guitarist Mike Lewis.
Of the 12 tracks on Liberation Transmission, my personal favorite is "Everyday Combat," a more upbeat rock song. This song also represents a foray into a new genre for the group. A rock metal song that has a new sound, it's more of a metal song without the annoying overuse of loud unnecessary noises. The track "Living in the DMZ" possesses lyrics that relate to the modern world, and a catchy tune and smooth rhythm. The other exceptional songs are "The New Transmission" and "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)." These songs are classified as metal but are, in my opinion, a fusion of rock and metal. These two songs can easily ignite a sense of music of frenzy because of their loud but yet understandable lyrics. The other nine songs in this CD are good but did not make quite the same impression on me, nevertheless, Liberation Transmission has a lot of hits with only a few misses. Lostprophets is clearly making a splash, and is ready to make waves.
