Album Review: Lord - Digital Lies

Power metal pride of Wollongong, Lord, are back in black and serving up another main course of galloping victorious tunes with latest outing, Digital Lies.

There are no surprises here, just straight-up power metal with inspirational key changes that wouldn't be out of place in an '80s martial arts montage scene. Head honcho LT (Lord Tim to his mates) takes the helm with vocal/guitar and keyboard duties, and full credit to him for being able to deliver this level of wrist control while belting out a vocal range that shifts from a very Bruce Dickinson bellow to a blackened metal scream.

First single off the album, Betrayal Blind, gets the blood pumping with its blistering pace, double kick drums and rousing call to action chorus. LT's dexterity is put to the test on this one, as he gives his fingers a good stretching for the lengthy legato guitar solo.

The title track is drenched in keys, and with its stomping verse and uplifting chorus it's nigh on impossible not to imagine some sweating denim-clad European losing his mind to this in a very orderly moshpit.

Point Of View ups the ante in terms of pace and stands out as the thrashiest number in the pack. Because We Can is a tongue-in-cheek one minute and 58 seconds of absolute cheese-grater shredding, purely designed to highly arouse guitar dorks who prize speed and technique over memorable licks. It's all in good fun, though.

There are a number of tracks that clock in at over eight minutes, but they're all well focused and don't beat about the bush compositionally. Cohesive and considered, Digital Lies is the clarion call to enter a battle on a unicorn wielding a flaming sword.