Review by SilentScream213 for Lost Horizon - Awakening the World (2001)

The debut album from Sweden’s Lost Horizon sounds more like an experienced band at the peak of their career. How they managed to compose and record something with such astute quality right off the bat is a mystery to me.

Many people have lauded the album for being one of the MOST Power Metal albums ever recorded. Indeed, Lost Horizon go above and beyond in every aspect of their delivery. The guitars are wild, speedy and neoclassical, melding aggressive riffing with fantastically melodic leads and solos. The drumming is ever changing and technical, taking a lot of progressive influence and incorporating it into classic, thunderous Power Metal blasts and gallops. The bass is surprisingly excellent and audible, grooving up and down the fretboard like a third lead guitar to add another layer of melody and progression. And then of course there are the vocals; an over the top, melodramatic call to arms filled with just as much power and force as they are with melody. The only thing missing are dedicated keys… but the four piece are so strong that they make you forget that more often than not.

The meat of the album is the perfect mix of what makes Power Metal good, and many of the songs have no flaws to speak of. Exceptionally well-written, expertly performed, memorable, strong, catchy, pummeling, triumphant… the list of what this band does right goes on and on.

I have to come to one of my pet peeves though. Useless interludes. The album has three of them. And at ten tracks and 44 minutes, 3 of those tracks and 4 minutes of the runtime being interludes hurts. While one is a decent New Age piece, the other two are really bad Ambient Drone tracks. Just, why? Why do bands do this? Lost points there.

It lives up to the legends, otherwise. A phenomenal piece of work., and amazing debut album.