Review Summary: ‘Weapons’ will no doubt please long time fans, but it also undoubtably presents the continuing slide into mediocrity for the band.
After the lukewarm reception to their last effort, ‘The Betrayed’, Lostprophets have gone on record to proclaim that ‘Weapons’, the band’s fifth full-length, is an attempt to give the British rock scene “a kick up the ass”. Unfortunatley, this task will have to be conceded to the wealth of more galvanizing acts doing the rounds today, as ‘Weapons’ proves beyond any doubt that the Welsh rockers have gone truely off the boil.
This isn’t to say that there’s anything particularly terrible about the release, yet the tracks here just seem to revel in cliché and uninspired songcraft. Opener ‘Bring ‘Em Down’ is your typical Lostprophets rager, with the aggressive instrumental work and soaring chorus satisfyingly tuneful, but from here on out there is regrettably little to get excited about. ‘We Bring An Arsenal’ employs the use of some cringeworthy gang chants, ‘Jesus Walks’ suffers from being melodically bland and the less said about the rapping in ‘Better Off Dead’ the better.
It’s strange that, even with these attempts to expand their sound occasionally, the songs here for the most part are unforgivably dull. The most apparent example of this is the acoustic driven ‘Somedays’, which, although being a laudable stab at trying something new, fails to be as captivating as desired simply through lacking the hooks and conviction needed. ‘Can’t Get Enough’s’ striving for a majestic, orchestral number also fails to ignite with its predictablte structure and underwhelming chorus.
‘Weapons’ will no doubt please long time fans, but it also undoubtably presents the continuing slide into mediocrity for the band. Wanting to rejuvenate the state of the current music scene may be one thing, but from this evidence Lostprophets need to focus more on rejuvenating their own sound before tackling any groundbreaking awakenings.
