Album Review: lost prophets weapons

2 April 2012 | 8:42 pm | James Dawson

Lostprophets have successfully crossed over from post hardcore to indie pop darlings - jump on board and enjoy the candy ride.

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Once upon a time, Lostprophets were a rough-sounding band from Wales who were in the forefront of the whole 'screamo band' wave that started to creep into the mainstream consciousness in the early noughties. And with some corker albums under the belt early on, the band has somewhat mellowed and has turned their collective attention to the subtleties of music as opposed to the brashness evident on Fake Sound Of Progress and Start Something. Tracks used to be heavily dominated by guitar riffs; now the focus has turned to the overall song on the band's new album, Weapons.

Opener, Bring 'Em Down, is an upbeat number that maintains all the components of their old sound, yet the guitars are down in the mix, and it is the layered vocal lines that are dominant. To paint this obvious change in the band's musical direction in a negative light would be quite narrow-minded, as the band has much more of a pop feel to most of their material, like Better Off Dead and the pop ballad, Jesus Walks (You And Me). Yes, the band will have ostracised hardcore fans of old, yet it is the diversity in the band's sound that is endearing overall. And who really wants to see aging rockers competing against the endless wave of younger bands flooding the scene? It seems you release a debut album and by the second album you're deemed 'old news' and just plain old. Acoustic guitars get a run on Somedays, before the album closes with the sombre synth-infused Can't Get Enough. Lostprophets have successfully crossed over from post hardcore to indie pop darlings - jump on board and enjoy the candy ride.