Release Date: 10 April 2026
Song Count: 11
Duration: 44 minutes, 30 seconds
Rating: 8.4/10
Description:
Song Count: 11
Duration: 44 minutes, 30 seconds
Rating: 8.4/10
Description:
Another release from yesterday spontaneously appearing in my periphery - and this time one that I, admittedly, should have likely been paying attention to. That's my bad, but at least here we are now.
The third edition of an ongoing chain of recent full-length releases, OPVS NOIR Vol. 3 is the twelfth and newest album from German metal band Lord Of The Lost. This peculiar band, in spite of being active since 2007 with plenty of changes and evolutions under its belt, has primarily been seeing success in more recent years, especially after they entered the Eurovision contest representing their country a few years back with a song that, though liked by many, got drowned out by other acts that year and ended up not getting the love it deserved in the final score. Ever since then, however, things have only really been looking up for the group, with their passion for releasing music and performing stronger than it has ever been, even managing to act as an opener for none other than Iron Maiden at a concert at one point! This brand new collection of powerful metal tracks showcases that indomitable spirit that these musicians possess in all of its power, through both the vocal performances and the instrumentation.
Lord Of The Lost has had a truly unique style of letting their talents shine through metal for a very long time, and nowhere is that more dawning to witness than with these 11 songs. Founder and singer Chris Harms' strong and deep voice absolutely takes the show and keeps every second of the experience highly captivating as it expresses every emotion and mood set by the external framing of the tracks. Underneath this, a classic metal or hard rock instrumentation plays, at times at full force and at times more gently depending on what sort of energy the tracks require to be set, whether it be more on the aggressive end (ex. "Kill The Lights") or on the slower and calmer one (ex. "The Day Of Our Lives"). Alongside the band's signature sound come in influences from several collaborators from different artists and bands within the scene, including Saltatio Moris, Cats in Space, Wednesday 13, Hannes Braun, and former subject of our front page, Xandria, who gets to contribute in a very solid and passionate track in the album, that being "When Did The Love Break?".
Aside from the very rare cracks in-between, such as the subpar French pronunciations in a particular song that end up sticking like a sore thumb, OPVS NOIR Vol. 3 holds up as a solid album filled with inspiring songs radiating a dark, gothic, highly melodic and artsy sense that brings the listener into a highly unique experience whilst listening. Lord Of The Lost as a group has been receiving increasing amounts of acknowledgement for their qualitative and impressive work over the course of their presence in the music scene, and releases like these are the primary reason for that occurring, as it is undeniable that they put their all into their musical work which frequently ends up paying off brilliantly. A good chunk of these songs will definitely stay in my rotation going forward, and certainly deserve a recommendation to those interested in the genre. Great stuff all around.