Lost Prophets - The Betrayed

YOURZ

This is another recent purchase I took a chance on recently.  The only thing I knew about this band was that they were from the same town in Wales of Sir Tom Jones, being the wonderfully Welsh-named Pontypridd.  And this is about all Lostprophets and Sir Tom have in common.  Musically, this five piece might have punk rock roots but their sound is from the same school as bands like Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park. 

But some of the song titles reveal a touch of the emo-branding as well.  Mine mentions one such below and the other long-winded titles (If It Wasn't For Hate We'd Be Dead By Now, for instance) don't do them any favours.  Thankfully, the driving distortion and sharp melodies actually work well, in that MTV rock kind of way.

But when I compare it to favoured bands like Karnivool and Mastodon, unfortunately the Lostprophets wind up way down the list.  Maybe I need to be an angst-ridden post-teen to really get this.  But I'm neither and while I don't mind it, I'm not rushing out to buy anything else by them.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

MINE

Well, this wasn't just disappointing - it was downright infuriating.  These guys can't seem to figure out what sort of music they're playing, going from almost Rage Against the Machine-type songs, through downright U2 ripoffs, one number that sounded a bit like the Killers and another couple that said "Gee, 80's-sounding music is getting popular, maybe we'd better do that?"

Don't get me started on the lyrics.  Banal isn't among it.  I mean seriously, It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See it From Here?

Resolutely mediocre.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information go to http://www.lostprophets.com/

Mastodon - Blood Mountain

MINE

No.

God, no.

But it made me wonder if guys like this lead singer will be due to lose their vocal cords in years to come.  Better lay in some serious medical insurance - don't you think?

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

I'm not a big metal fan.  Generally, I like my music to be more fun and less serious than a lot of metal takes itself to be.  But in a few instances, a band jumps out, grabs me by my skinny neck and shakes me like a motherfucker.  Mastodon is one such band. 

It is a combination of the blisteringly fast riffs, the rapid time changes and the seemingly higher intellect of their lyrics that does it for me.  The double pronged attack of twin guitars, riffing over the top of a machine-gun-fire snare and fat-as bass are like aural sculptures.  Sure, not everyone appreciates such sculpture, but thankfully, I get this.

The other thing I like about it is they don't mess about with over-long lead guitar breaks, eschewing these for smart, whip-crack riffs that leave the listener breathless.  I fucking love it!  And it seems I'm not the only one, with the band gaining some big names fans in people like QOTSA front man Josh Homme, Cedric from At The Drive In and Neil Fallon from Clutch.  They've toured with Metallica, Slayer and Slipknot and have garnered accolades from the metal and wider music-loving community right around the world.  As they should.  Blood Mountain is a metal fan's wet dream come true.

Mine, however, is probably bleeding from the ears right now...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.mastodonrocks.com/