Lost In Thought
Opus Arise

Without prolixity, without the arrogance of someone else, but with still something to improve. Ultimately, these words would suffice to summarize "Opus Arise," the first studio album for Lost In Thought. A quintet from Wales, more precisely from the town of Swansea. They also have an eponymous EP to their credit, which after some research led them to the Swedish label Inner Wound.

Driven by curiosity and the good reviews the work seems to have received, I went to get the CD in question. The content is a concentrate of the less cerebral Dream Theater and the Italian DGM. Nate Loosemore's velvety voice stands out, well accompanied by the instruments, never too intrusive upon one another. The prog that these five Britons propose is much more accessible than the sonorous dolmens of other realities: the duration guarantees a good feeling with the CD, avoiding one of the recurring elements when dealing with a prog album, boredom.

Without too many frills, "Beyond the Flames" opens the album with a mighty riff and vaguely oriental keyboards, developing a soundscape that is expertly governed by Loosemore's vocals. It is clear from the outset that the progressive metal of Lost In Thought is not the hyper-solo and instrumental type of other realities like Dream Theater, a band that always pops up as a term of comparison in this genre. Even "Entity" stands out for its compactness: the band fully performs its work without smudges, but compared to the first track, it loses immediacy and the final result suffers from it. Yet, the first tracks of the album are enough to understand that the quintet knows what they're doing: "Blood Red Diamond" is poised to be the best track on the CD, thanks to a greater stylistic variety, due to a base closer to hard rock than metal. "Opus Arise" continues in the vein of these characteristics: never self-serving technique, melody, well-set vocal lines. Probably a bit of pathos is missing in some passages, but that will be gained with experience given the young age of the members (all between 22 and 23 years old).

We are facing a release that will remain unknown to many but that fuels the music market of a genre saturated with realities, yet where it is increasingly difficult to find quality and class. The Welsh Lost In Thought are gradually beginning a journey towards maturity, but the foundations, the study, that has already been done. It matters little if the five members have little experience behind them: their first platter has garnered them excellent reviews and also a decent success. Keep going like this.

1. "Beyond The Flames" (6:59)
2. "Entity" (6:34)
3. "Blood Red Diamond" (5:31)
4. "Seek To Find" (5:15)
5. "New Times Awaken" (4:06)
6. "Delusional Abyss" (7:18)
7. "Lost In Thoughts" (7:29)
8. "Assimulate, Destroy" (6:33)