Lostprophets - The Betrayed (Review)

Artist: Lostprophets
Album: The Betrayed
Label: Sony Music
Release Date: February 2nd
Genre: Alternative
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Rating:

Mainstream rock albums come with a certain risk in 2010. When a band that fits the label "modern rock" writes and records a new collection of songs, especially for a major label like Sony, they have an assumed responsibility not merely to make good music, but to make radio-friendly music. This is because the genre of modern rock, as a whole, is not thoroughly respected by music critics these days. 15 or 20 years ago this was not the case, but with the flood of power chord-dependent bands in the late 90s and early 00s came bands like Nickelback, Creed, and their deformed brothers. Contemporary rock music turned over the reins to alternative, indie, and the emo/punk scene in terms of creativity.

While many of the groups that have dominated modern rock radio over the last decade are fading or have disappeared completely, Lostprophets are releasing their 4th album. They have remained a steady face in the music industry, cracking the radioplay barrier but hovering just below ultra-popular. Their last album, 2006's Liberation Transmission, generated arguably their biggest hit to date, "Rooftops," and took the band's influences away from the metal side and toward the pop side. Now, 2010's The Betrayed portrays a band at odds with themselves, torn between a desire to stay relevant and creative and a need to generate hit songs in a radio industry that is rapidly dying.

More popular in the UK than the US, Lostprophets have more potential to fill up Wembley Stadium than Madison Square Garden. And with grander and more expansive sounds featured on The Betrayed than ever before, they have finally made the complete transition to arena rock. The band has always been especially adept at a certain style of singing, which I am reluctant to call "gang vocals," since that term isn't defined on Wikipedia or even Urban Dictionary. Anyway, the sound of the vocal parts, particularly the choruses, is not that of inner city brutes. It's that of a chorus of young renegades, of the middle-class struggling to be heard. "We don't need anyone, we're holding on, we're holding on," Ian Watkins sings, his voice standing out in the crowd. Lead single "Where We Belong" asks for attention, with a chanted chorus of "Take these storms away, start a brand new story/ I'll make it through each day singing death or glory/ Lord won't answer me, I won't let it bring me down."

This sentiment is echoed throughout The Betrayed, sometimes antagonistically (the Rage-influenced "Next Stop Atro City"), sometimes emotionally ("Darkest Blue"), and sometimes insightfully (album highlight "Streets of Nowhere"). It works in tandem with the aggressive guitars and the colossal production to create an album that is listenable even to those who generally avoid modern rock. Lostprophets have certainly succeeded in making catchy music, with a half-dozen potential radio hits on one album. They have climbed to a higher level than many of their modern rock contemporaries. They have not, however, departed significantly from any of their past work, being content to continue sacrificing their scene credibility by utilizing simplistic and repetitive musical riffs. It's a shame, too - listening to the album, one can tell that the band is inherently talented. Perhaps this is the best they can do, but given the freedom to wander musically, they might find a much more exciting sound.

Track Listing:
1. If It Wasn't For Hate, We'd Be Dead By Now
2. Dstryr/Dstryr
3. It's Not The End Of The World, But I Can See It From Here
4. Where We Belong
5. Next Stop, Atro City
6. For He's A Jolly Good Felon
7. A Better Nothing
8. Streets Of Nowhere
9. Dirty Little Heart
10. Darkest Blue
11. The Light That Shines Twice As Bright

Similar To: Story of the Year, Madina Lake, Papa Roach

Review by: Jordy K.