CD: “Weapons” by Lostprophets

It’s been a quiet two years since Welsh rockers Lostprophets released The Betrayed regarding new stuff, and everyone has been full of excitement and curiosity to see what Lostprophets are pulling out the bag this time around with their new album, Weapons. With the huge wait and everything being put on a huge pedestal of expectations and hopes, the question everyone wants to know is did it stay up with the expectations or crash and burn?

The front cover is more or less the same as their 3rd studio album, Liberation Transmission, which could be the band’s obvious and un-sly representation that they’re forgetting the last album, pretending it never happened and returning to the old stuff after The Betrayed got a huge negative reaction.

The whole album seems to be based around their normal idea of “Us against the world” and “Fuck you, this is who we are”, but even though it’s complete with their expressive lyrics, additional “woahs” and excessive chants from the rest of the band, it doesn’t stand out from Lostprophets’ other stuff. The expectations for this album were so high that it’s not a surprise it hasn’t got such a positive reactions yet; yes, it’s a great album and it’s good to have new material from this much loved band, but it comes across as lacking the effort and passion that Lostprophets usually put into their albums, which follows through as slight disappointment from their dedicated fans. The album as a whole isn’t a mixture of “new” or “old”; it’s a complete combination, with strong inputs from previous styles yet new hints that are a complete turning point in the long, debatable success of Lostprophets’ career.

The strongest songs on the album are those that have cleverly been released as singles; Bring Em Down and Better Off Dead. These songs actually represent the work and passion that the band put into it, with powerful riffs and catchy lyrics that show these guys do actually care, no matter how much they put on they don’t. Most of the songs on the album have no doubt they’ll be amazing live as they convey that atmosphere that live songs need, although in a studio album, it doesn’t achieve the energy and passion that they have when played live.

Overall, the album is fair and which will eventually grow on you, but it’s going to take a few shows in their upcoming tour and getting over the disappointment to be able to appreciate how once again, Lostprophets have shown why people love them.

Tracks
Bring ‘Em Down
We Bring an Arsenal
Another Shot
Jesus Walks
A Song for Where I’m From
A Little Reminder That I’ll Never Forget
Better Off Dead
Heart on Loan
Somedays
Can’t Get Enough

Words By Bryanna-Leigh.