The Betrayed- Lostprophets

I'm Welsh. There I've said it. I like the Lostprophets. There I've said that too. I've met them a few times, I've seem them millions of times. I've a good mate in another local band called Kids In Glass Houses and they've supported them loads and there cool guys. 

I know I said in my description that I don't like new wave, emo pop punk. That said the Prophets are a band I've followed since their beginning. Anyone who knows them, seen them, or looked into them know they do have a metal core running through them. I'd defiantly recommend listening to there cover of Machine Heads Davidian- it's awesome!

That being said the new album, The Betrayed, is...interesting. Ian and Mike used to be in a thrash metal band called Aftermath. Then Ian, Mike and Lee were in a hardcore punk band called Fleshbind. I've seen the pictures of them on holiday in these hardcore punk/trash days. If you don't believe me check out good ol' Wikipedia.This metal influence can be seen on the new album, Dstryr and Dstryr and Next Stop Atro City are badass man! Dstryr and Dstryr live will rock you little socks off! Next Stop Atro City has and amazing bridge (in the words of Russell Brand "I like to cater to the thick, not that im suggesting that anyone here is, and if you're offended by that. then you have to go, "I'm offended by that", and then the caveat must be, "because I'm thick." so by being offended, you've sort of acknowledged that you are thick. and none of you are, so we're all back on speaking terms") The double beats and heavy riff is wicked, and I truly believe they could make a top notch metal band, i just wish they would stick to one theme!

End Of The World and Where We Belong are good little rock ditty's. End Of The World has a real Muse vibe to it, seriously that solo is classic Bellamy! Dirty Little Heart is the standard "love song" in the same vein as Always All Ways and Broken Hearts, Torn Up Letters off Liberation Transmission. 

The last song on the album The Light That Burns Twice As Bright has a hidden track...I hate hidden tracks! there a pain in the ass man, your out for a run, suddenly the song ends so OK you wait for a bit for the next song but NOOOO!  5 minutes later the hidden track starts, you gotta stop, get your generic MP3 player out either skip our try and find the next part of the song. Man it just spoils my groove ya know! anywho the song(s) is good. big open chorus, nice piano arrangement, has an industrial Nine Inch Nail feel to it, a bit like Sway from what I consider their best album Start Something. Or do I prefer The Fake sound of Progress...? it's a hard one, depending on what mood I'm in, its the eternal struggle I face- Kill em all or Master of Puppets? The Colour and the Shape or Foo Fighters? Paranoid or Sabbath Bloody Sabbath? 

I detract. For He's A Jolly Good Felon is an INDIE song. There are "oh ohs" in it. "oh ohs".  I get the song, it's about a thieving mate from the valleys, i do get it. But it's its an indie/mod song. it's like the Clash, but not The Clash but sort of The Clash. It's missing the punk, political theme to justify it. Sorry.

So the Betrayed. It's an album that doesn't know what it wants to be. We have Metal, Rock, Indie and #cough# Punk/Pop/Mod. It's better that Liberation Transmission, its not hard, but it doesn't touch the first 2 albums! They said it was going to be "dark and gritty", yeah maybe the lyrics are but the tunes are all too different. It's just like these fashionistas you see with all the make up and hand bags and jewellery wearing an AC/DC t-shirt! FADS! I don't like to pigeon hole but you have to have a central theme. Imagine Avatar suddenly becoming a black and white french espionage thriller a third of the way through! Tell you I'd watch it if it did! What I'm trying to say it stick to your roots and don't make an album for sales sake. Though that is never going to happen so I will go back to banging my head against a brick wall.

7/10.

Rant over. Peace out.