Lost Horizon: Awakening the World

[thespectralsorrows]

Lost Horizon’s Awakening the World is a 10 song CD with a length of 43 minutes. The CD was released in 2001 by Koch. The disc was recorded at Studio Fredman and produced by Wojtek Lisicki and Lost Horizon. Not a bad job at all, very clean and polished, but I’d like to hear a little more beef in the sound. The band consists of Wojtek Lisicki on guitar/synthesizers, Martin Furangen on bass, Christian Nyquist on drums and
Daniel Heiman on vocals. The insert layout is quite egotistical for a debut album. Of the 12 pages, only 2 are for lyrics
while 8 are for band members thank you lists and photos. Oh yeah, and as you have noticed they band are walking out of a gateway on the cover. Then on the back they are shackling
the beasts that were controlling humanity. The album opens with a relatively meaningless intro called The Quickening. The romping Heart of Stone follows this with its infectious vocals and melodies. Sworn in the Metal Wind is a mid-paced piece with lots of power
metal sounds mixed with traditional metal including lots of lead guitar. The Song of Air is basically just that, 1 minute of soft keys and it’s gone. Track 5 is World Through My Fateless Eyes. This song is rather fast and straightforward with only couple solos. Perfect Warrior opens with some yelling and guitar solo’s, then moves to mid-pace song tempo. It’s slightly slower song with something of a hard rock feel, but pretty good anyway. Lead
guitar and keyboards open the track Denial of Fate. The song progresses to a mid-tempo and is pretty straightforward but is enjoyable for the vocals and upbeat nature of it. Welcome Back focuses on the vocals more then the music, but contains some cool guitar breaks. The Kingdom of My Will is 9 minutes in length but definitely one of the best songs on here. The song focuses on strong guitar melodies, a variety in vocal patterns and pace changes. The Redintegration is a waste of an outro, just hit stop. This is a good, but not great album. It’s really of good quality and solid, but is missing the extra quality’s that would make it a
classic. However, since this is a debut they should only build upon this. The lyrics are pretty standard power metal oriented with use of the words metal/steel/united etc. I like Daniel Heiman on vocals, but think the songs are too vocal oriented. I would like to see the band try to build stronger songs musically and vocally so that every song is memorable. The best songs are definitely tracks 2, 3 and 9, which also happen to be the three longest. If
the other tracks were as good this would be a classic.
The CD is available from most retailers
including http://www.centurymedia.com

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

I'm glad you didn't slobber all over this record like so many others did before you. It's a good, even very good album, but there's nothing here that made me feel it was the 2nd coming.

And they're not as good as the established masters of the genre, but that's just MO (of course).

 

[Spudd]

It is a very bad album. here's my review of it from last year;

Lost Horizon review

I couldn't believe some of the raving reviews I read for it. Also, I had an interview with Martin (the bassist) just after it's release, but it was soo bad that I never posted it. It was a very strange conversation...

Oh and here is the text from that review if you're to lazy to follow the link;

------

The Time Is Now!

The four warriors have finally come from beyond the Lost Horizon to free us of our social and cultural slavery and to bring us to full mental and spiritual awakening!

Our four intrepid heroes have names and powers that only the gods could have granted and bestowed upon them for the purpose of this crusade.

First you have the Cosmic Antagonist who orchestrates the thunder and seismic harmonizing of "the message".

Then you have the Transcendental Protagonist who is the poesy of spiritual enlightenment / the entire string romanticism and soulhealing euphoria generator.

After that you get the Preternatural Transmogrifyer who is the keeper of the universe's pulse and taming of chaos.

Finally, filling the role of the fourth warrior is Ethereal Magnanimus who's laments of the souls and primal victorious warrior cries make for a complete humanity saving quartet.

Yes dear victim of hatred and remorse, those are your knights in shinning armor that are hear to bring back the world of light from the Once Lost Horizon! Hear their mighty war cries echo across the skies!

Listen to these words from the Transcendental Protagonist and learn ;

"I dedicate this album to all pure minded warriors of truth. To those who see, feel, hear and know things others can't. To the motivated rebels, who resist the rotten, corrupted and indoctrinated way of living, that the conscious mind infectors force us to follow. To those who lead others through this savage world. To those who don't chose life's easiest way. To the people with the unique gift of art-creating. To those who chose controlled intellectual asceticism before the blind pleasure's temptation. To those who realize their dreams by heard, painful work and personal sacrifices. To the innocence and holiness of whales and dolphins, and all animals in general. To the nature and it's misticum and magic..."

If those words do not turn you attention and make you realize how you are being oppressed, then maybe, just maybe the Preternatural Transmogrifyer can stimulate your undeveloped spiritualism.

"First of all I thank Myself for ignoring all the wail from the Mob of Conformity and walking My own path in life. For My powers of insight and wisdom and for not even once doubting My choices in the Turns of Life. A big Fuck Off to the ones who ever doubted My decisions and talents."

How did these four ever come to realize who and what they would become? Where did the inspiration to take on the world rise from? Listen closely, for these are their words;

"...the immortal heart-tearing motion picture adventure "The Big Blue"...the equally immortal heart-tearing motion picture adventure "Highlander"..."

"People that realize that prejudice and dogmas are the way of the weak mind."

"...my old PC-386, my Ensoniq ASR10 and EPS16+, and Voyetra - the best sequencer program ever done, which gilds my life every day, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom I; II; III, Unreal, the greatest game ever made..."

"Star Wars - the best and most up-filling act ever done in cinematography..."

"Egypt - the place of pure magic..."

"Arnold Schwarzenegger for the "Conan" adventures..."

And so forth! Their inspiration shows no boundaries and comes from the purest of pure places - fiction!

Do you not feel the power that Lost Horizon commands? Their sheer existence has rocked the metal world. It is time for the awakening! Come! Join me on the front lines! Become part of the revolution! Become a convert! Help spread the word, The Once Lost Horizon, is, well, Still Lost!

------


Spudd

 

[thespectralsorrows]

Not much of a review, I guess the point of the quotes was to say that they are pompous and clueless. The only problem with that is that doesn't mean they don't make good music. Afterall, Rhapsody have the same attitude and rule. If you're gonna review an album it's helpful to the reader if they have some clue as to what you're talking about. Only someone owning the CD would know what you were doing with all quotes from the CD booklet.

 

[Spudd]

That was the point of the review. The album is not worth listening to and is very disjointed and pompous. Let alone that fact that it's not worth actually reviewing, but spending most of my time on writing bull sh*t and talking it up.

But your points are very valid. I was just going overboard as they had gone overboard. And I enjoy writing and reading reviews that do something other than state what music is being played.

-edit-
I was also implying that their album is as big as their "seeming" ego.

Swing on by sometime.


Spudd

 

[Nasty]

You clerly don't understand the messege of the lyrics. It's about waking up and be your self, and to have your own mind of thinking and not to be a sofisticated slave for the society. For they have had the control of our minds sinse the year 0.
To find moore about the truth you can read the lyrics of Full Strike(www.fullstrike.net), a great band, or read a book named "The World Builders Fraud" by Jüri Lina(one of many).

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Originally posted by Spudd
That was the point of the review. The album is not worth listening to and is very disjointed and pompous. Let alone that fact that it's not worth actually reviewing, but spending most of my time on writing bull sh*t and talking it up.

Spudd

If it's not worth listening to, than how could you possibly know if it's worth reviewing? I don't get it, do you only review albums that you love?

 

[Spudd]

No, I review all the albums that I get, whether they are good or bad.

And how would I know if it was not worth listening to if I didn't listen to it in the first place? Trust me, I listened to it a great deal, just like all the other albums that I reivew.

So when I went to review it, I just reviewed it as how I "heard" it.

Then after all those listens, I didn't like it, and found it the way that I found it.


Spudd

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Ok, fair enough. And I was by no means saying that I was much different. If I don't get my arse to review something before I even have a preconceived notion about it, the review comes off as biased because I already love the album. But every once in awhile, it's nice to read a review that slams a record rather than praises it.

 

[Spudd]

Most of my reviews are based off the feelings that the album gave me. And I also enjoy reading reviews that rip into records. They are mostly amusing and sometimes hold actual value.

And I just might have to start dumping more of my reviews here becuase of the great feedback.


Spudd

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Please do! Someone's got to not be as lazy as me...