Review Summary: Reset your sonic presets.
If one could say anything about Lord of the Lost, it should be that they’ve never settled for stylistic stagnation. Compare 2014’s release
From The Flame Into The Fire to 2021’s outing
Judas. The former is a bombastic package, bursting with Teutonic staccato riffs, pulsing EBM beats, and violent death metal growls. The latter is a pensive, biblically inspired double record that dials back the scream and gain-coated power axes in favor of pianos, 80s nu-wave, and Middle Eastern-tinged string orchestration. The group fully embraces their influences and impulses with nary a shred of hesitation, something that can’t be said of the whole of their post-Rammstein contemporaries.
So, true to form, 2022’s
Blood & Glitter flips the script anew for these Eurovision contenders. Out with dramatic, borderline sacrilegious tales of betrayal and redemption, in with drag-themed promo art and unmistakably modern social commentary. Indeed,
Blood is a wholly modern metal album. Social media toxicity (“Leave Your Hate In The Comments”), post-COVID malaise (“The Future Of A Past Life”), and resistance to an international alt-right resurgence (“No Respect For Disrespect”) are all prominent subject matter here. Whether the band intended it or not, this is a political album, one which at least has the guts—unlike Disturbed’s milquetoast
Divisive—to clearly pick a side in the cultural divide.
Modernity, however, doesn’t solely reside in the aesthetic and lyrical content of the project. There’s technically nothing on this album, on its own merits, that you haven’t heard from a 21st century metal act. Gigantic, hooky choruses? Check (“Blood & Glitter”). Chunky, low-tuned riffs? Got ya covered (“Dead End”). Prominent electronic influence? You betcha (“Reset The Preset”).
Undeniably, those elements are not wholly original, but Lord of the Lost pull them off pretty damn well. “Leave Your Hate In The Comments” is a ferociously caustic assault, complete with vicious vocal fry howls and a pulverizing main guitar riff. The chorus of “Save Our Souls”, though stunningly simple, absolutely soars, while the marching electro beat of “Reset The Preset” trimumphantly pushes the track forward. To be sure, modern Deutsche contempories such as Stahlmann and Schattenmann can certainly craft NDH-inspired bangers, but they often lack the cris and cutting edge of LOTL’s delivery.
Modernity aside, though,
Blood & Glitter also functions as a cheesy, blast-from-the-past disc, prominently borrowing from 80s glam/power metal and 70s prog rock. “Leaving The Planet Earth” is an ethereal slow burner that leans upon atmosphere, depending strongly upon its steady drum beat, Harms’ aching baritone, a subdued clean riff, and subtle, warm synths. “Destruction Manual”, an unabashedly cornball (w/ lyrics such as “be you, be true, be free”, the hook of “let it burn, mother***er, let it burn”, and a funky slap bass line) speed-metal barnburner, sounds like Motley Crüe snorted all the cocaine before drunkenly hijacking a time machine to kidnap Flea and rob the KoRn crew of their 7-string axes. Even with its screams, “Absolute Attitude” relies far more on Iron Maiden-esque lead guitar harmonies and massive 80s synths. Cover track “The Look” has all the cock rock energy of the original tune. Genre purists on both sides of the aisle may well find this repulsive, but one can’t deny the creative ambition on display here.
Still though, even considering that ambition,
Blood & Glitter has its stumbles. The group’s desire to highlight other musicians is memorable, but most of the guest vocal spots on the album leave much to be desired. Combichrist’s Andy LePlegua lends his throaty barks to “Reset The Preset” and, while he performs serviceably enough, one wonders why the band involved him when Harms has an extremely similar harsh vocal style. Similarly, vocalist Blümchen lends backup vocals to “The Look”; she sounds fine enough, but one wonders why the band couldn’t have just covered backup duties themselves here. Marcus Bischoff, cookie monster for German death metal outfit Heaven Shall Burn, nails down the only stand-out guest performance. His distinctive, desperate shrieks elevate “The Future Of A Past Life” to an album standout. Even so, one stand-out guest performance out of a total of four guest vocalists is undeniably disappointing.
Further, though a more subjective criticism than the former, B&G arguably dumps a tad too much glitter over the proceedings. The album certainly does pack a punch, but those hoping for the dark, scream-wracked ragers the likes of “Fists Up In The Air”, “Drag Me To Hell”, or “Full Metal Whore” will walk away feeling ever-so-slightly unfulfilled. “Leave Your Hate In The Comments” can absolutely mosh with the best of them, but is in the bare minority here. The defanged tracks are not bad, mind you, but after
Judas already toned down the group’s edge, it would have been nice to see them fully embrace the darkness again.
With all of that said,
Blood & Glitter is an interesting, raucous blend of 21st century influences and the glory days of old, as well as a mark of LOTL’s admirable cross-over appeal. Though not unique in the accomplishment, it’s still not every day that a relatively eclectic, drag-clad, semi-political metal act earns a spot in Eurovision proceedings. Heavy music doesn’t necessarily need “mainstream” support to have significance, but between Lord of the Lost’s Eurovision appearance and Bring Me The Horizon’s recent Brit Awards spot—both performances featuring harsh vocals on national TV—one perhaps hopes that the genre can retain the crown it solidly held at the turn of the century. LOTL’s frenetic musical stylings may frustrate thrash and pop purists alike, but for those looking for a twist on their playlists, give
Blood & Glitter a spin.
