Lord of the Lost â Opvs Noir Vol. 1
By ClarkKent
Chris Harms has been in the music business since 1999, but it wasnât until founding Lord of the Lost in 2007 that he seems to have found his home. I say this not because I am familiar with him or the band, but because Harms has released ten full-length albums, three orchestral albums, four live albums, and one compilation since forming Lord of the Lost. Probably Lord of the Lostâs biggest claim to fame is their participation at Eurovision in 2023, representing Germany, where they unfortunately placed last in the final round. But wait, isnât Eurovision for pop music? Why are these guys being covered on Angry Metal Guy? Apparently, theyâre metal enough to sign to Napalm Records and also have toured with KMFDM and Iron Maiden. And now with Eurovision in the rearview mirror, Lord of the Lost look to return to their darker roots with Opvs Noir Vol. 1, the first in a planned trilogy.
Lord of the Lost play Rammstein-inspired industrial metal with a gothic tinge and pop beats. Synths typically dominate the mix, but occasionally the guitars take over on heavier cuts like âDamageâ and âLords of Fyre.â What surprised me most was the variety of sounds on Opvs Noir Vol. 1, from the folk-y instruments on âLords of Fyreâ to the use of symphonics throughout. The chants, organs, and strings on cuts like âMoonstruckâ evoke Fleshgod Apocalypse, and they often bring a cinematic touch, which is appropriate given the musiciansâ penchant for elaborate costumes and makeup. On top of this already grandiose blending of genres is a touch of hip hop, most apparent on âBazaar Bizarre,â where Harms semi-raps over rhythmic beats. While these descriptions might scare many of you off, this is actually a lot of fun. The songs are catchy and the mix of styles means you never know what youâll get from track to track.
Anchoring the music is the performance of Harms, as well as the choice of collaborators throughout Opvs Noir Vol. 1. Harms has an undeniable charismaâhis voice has a dark, sexy tenor that fits perfectly in either pop or heavy metal. He reminds me of Billy Idol and that dude who sings âBlue Monday.â Harms also tries on some occasional death metal growls, and while his voice isnât as brutal as those more practiced in the style, theyâre effective in the few instances he uses them. Aiding Harms is a well-curated mix of collaborators, from the obscure to the more well-known. Notably, Within Temptation performs a duet with Lord of the Lost on the slow tearjerker, âLight Can Only Shine in the Darkness,â where Sharon den Adelâs soft lilt contrasts nicely with Harmsâ deeper resonance. Probably my favorite is a collaboration with cellist Tina Guo on âGhosts,â though the catchiest chorus belongs to âLords of Fyre,â performed with fellow Napalm-signed Germans, the power metal band Feuerschwanz. 1
Lord of the Lost make very few missteps on Opvs Noir Vol. 1. The 11-song record clocks in at a tidy 44 minutes, though itâs almost eerie how many songs come in at the 3:40 mark. While they largely play to a traditional pop structure, Lord of the Lost also succeed on the more progressively-structured âThe Things We Do For Love,â which weaves from soft piano to heavy Eisbrecher-inspired riffs to hip hop to a chorus that absolutely nails it. Yet a few tracks keep this from being yet another 4.0 notch in my belt. âThe Sadness in Everythingâ ruins a talented performance by Anna Maria Rose by having her sing a melody that sounds an awful lot like âThis is Halloweenâ from A Nightmare Before Christmas. The finale also veers into self-parody when Harms sings âTwinkle twinkle brittle starâ like a dramatic re-imagining of the classic childrenâs tune. These moments may be small, but they do undermine the albumâs conclusion.
Opvs Noir Vol. 1 is a very good start to this planned trilogy. Donât let the pop tag scare you away. Lord of the Lost has some quality songwritingâthe performances and collaborations should be enough to interest anyone who is a fan of industrial metal, symphonic metal, or even power metal. This is yet another Napalm act, like Warkings, where the songwriting improves on older materialâat least that which Iâve sampled from both bands. Yes, that material is well-polished, poppy, and catchy, but itâs a ton of fun and a welcome break from the bleakness of death and doom metal.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025
#2025 #35 #Aug25 #BillyIdol #Deathstars #Eisbrecher #Feuerschwanz #FleshgodApocalypse #GermanMetal #GlamMetal #GothicMetal #IndustrialMetal #IronMaiden #KMFDM #LordOfTheLost #NapalmRecords #OpvsNoirVol1 #Pop #PopMetal #Rammstein #Review #Reviews #Stimmgewalt #SymphonicMetal #Warkings #WithinTemptation
Life of Maino đȘđș
BurnYourEars Webzine
Kazuky Akayashi àž
^âąï»âą^àž
đ€ The Metal Dog đ€
Angry Metal Guy
Metal Insider
Frankfurt
El Pregoner del Metall
