With Eurovision and a spell touring with Iron Maiden in their rear-view mirror, the next record from Lord Of The Lost had to be something appropriately ambitious. Enter Opvs Noir Vol. 1, the first in a trilogy of albums that ushers in a darker, more melancholic era. The German darkwave metallers aren’t reinventing themselves, however: Vol. 1 is a kind of reintroduction to the band that existed long before they were ever on our television screens.
That’s not to say they’ve left their glam industrial-goth sound behind but, having previously dabbled in orchestration on the 2015–2020 Swan Songs albums, they’ve now brought that element back, adding a robustness and theatricality that suits the album’s grand intent. Opening track Bazaar Bizarre, with its pummelling symphonic metal intro, pulsing 80s synths and Chris Harms’ unmistakeable baritone, tells you right out of the gate who the band are today.
