Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Lost Horizon > A Flame to the Ground Beneath > Reviews
Lost Horizon - A Flame to the Ground Beneath

Power Metal's Most Tragic Lost - 100%

Slater922, July 25th, 2023
Written based on this version: 2003, CD, Music for Nations

Lost Horizon may very well be one of the most tragic bands to ever come around in the metal scene. Forming as early as 1990 under the Highlander moniker, the band would release two albums in the early 2000s that were highly praised. But when Daniel Heiman and Fredrik Olsson left the band to form Heed in 2004, the band would be on hold, and to this day, remain with a third album waiting to be recorded until they can find a new vocalist. Though things seem rather bleak for the band, I still love the few releases they have, with the second outing in particular being something I hold dearly to this day.

We begin with a two minute ambient intro titled "Transdimensional Revelation", a simple, yet neat little space ambient track that does a decent job at setting up the atmosphere for the album. It's from the next track "Pure" that things truly start going great. The guitars themselves are easily the best part of the instrumentals, mainly with just how well the riffs are written. They mainly play some melodic and upbeat riffs that not only sound great, but feel genuine and authentic. A lot of power metal albums fall under a trap of going overboard with the melodic riffs, which ends up making the whole thing sound cheesy and bloated. Here, the guitars have the right amount of pride and triumph, but at the same don't go too overboard. The same can be said to the drums and bass, as both pieces serve as an excellent companion piece towards the guitars, and the complex drumming neat bass play fit perfectly towards the nightly melodic atmosphere of the track. Even the keyboards, while subtle in the mix, is still great at showcasing the spatial tone of the track. As great as Pure is, it's tracks like "Lost in the Depths of Me", "Cry of a Restless Soul", and "Highlander (The One)" that remain not just my favorites from the band, but some of my all-time favorites from power metal with how triumphant and epic the riffs are. Whether it be the metal tracks or the ambient interludes, all the instruments are packed with melodic passion that'll keep you engaged.

The vocals are also fantastic. Daniel Heiman's vocals on both Lost Horizon records are great, but I personally find the vocals on this album to be a bit better. Daniel goes all out on his melodic singing on this album, which not only sound beautiful, but are perfect for this type of album. A great example of this would be in the track "Cry of a Restless Soul". Given the epic nature of this track, Daniel's singing not only flows well with the upbeat tempo, but elevates the story of powering through a storm. As great as the instruments are, it's hard to deny that Daniel's vocals not only help carry many of the tracks, but are easily his peak in terms of his vocal performance.

Even the lyrics are great. Lost Horizon's lyrics mainly deal with themes of self-empowerment and confidence, which are executed beautifully in this album. One example of this is in "Think Not Forever", where the chorus quotes:

If you think forever
Things will never change
When you find your sense again
You should follow its way
If you think forever
It is hard to see
When you find you truly believe
You should follow your spirit as your guide


Here, Daniel argues that things will not change for the better if you're focused on the "forever" part of life, and instead suggests following your own instincts to lead the way. The way the verse is written feels genuine and even a bit powerful, and you feel as though the songwriters want readers to focus on their own spirit in overcoming their challenges. It's especially the case in lines like "I have changed how to be, but it still is me", as even though he's changed his ways, he still remains himself, which I think is pretty neat. Given the positivity around the lyrics, the upbeat instrumentals and melodic singing is not only fitting, but only heightens the arguments for self-improvement. Compared to most other power metal lyrics focusing more on fantasy and adventure, the album's songwriting on believing in yourself is not only written well, but is also authentic in terms of its advice.

While their debut "Awakening the World" was a great record, I'd argue that "A Flame to the Ground Beneath" basically took what the former album did and only improved upon it even further. The instrumentals are as perfect as you can get with this type of power metal, the singing is well done, and the empowering lyrics only put the cherry on top of this remarkable record. While it seems like the chances of getting a new Lost Horizon record dwindles down year after year, perhaps we should instead focused on what the band did in their short lifespan. If you haven't had the chance to check this album out, then I would highly recommend doing so ASAP, as it truly is something you have to hear to believe.

Extremely Healing And Uplifting. - 100%

VictimOfScience, November 1st, 2022
Written based on this version: 2003, CD, Music for Nations

This has to be my absolute favorite power metal record of all time. It used to be Helloween's "Keeper Of The Seven Keys I", but I had to admit eventually that these guys really did overtake their ancestors. At first, I didn't know what to make of this record, as it sounded a bit inaccessible. The long songs, the extremely high number of sections in one song, the synth, all of these things made it very difficult for me to get into it. Months later, I don't know how, or for what reason, this album came to my mind. I listened to it again, and I was just blown away. This album is unbelievable.

With regards to the style, this is one hundred percent, solid, shining power metal. There are literally no other elements in the sound, no heavy metal nor speed metal characteristics. Just what we know as "power metal", and that only. Synth, mid-paced double-bass filled, tremolo picking sections that are very sophisticated and precise. All of the characteristics of the genre are encompassed by this album. Lost Horizon was going for a record that's very exclusive to this genre, and they did it magnificently.

Moving on to the songs themselves... You will probably never repeat listening to an album this deep and precious ever again. All of the songs are very emotionally driven, and they are determined to find answers to the deepest questions you might have about yourself, life, the Universe, anything. While all of the songs are mid-paced and long, the record remains very intriguing and creative until the very last second. The melodies, such as the one in the chorus of "Lost In The Depths Of Me", or the one in "Cry Of A Restless Soul" are more uplifting and soothing than anything in human history. With the inclusion of the synth, they managed to write songs so atmospheric, so spiritually brightening, so epic sounding, that no other album can duplicate this experience.

As far as technical abilities go, the band is not made of the most advanced musicians you've ever heard. The guitar work is the perfect definition of "excellent". These guys are very good, but not Katsu Ohtas or Yngwie J. Malmsteens. However, the guitarists of Lost Horizon have something those two guys don't have, and that is storytelling ability. That allows them to make up for their lacking technical skills, AND do a lot more than that. Their riffs and solos are just unrivaled in painting the most wonderful and blindingly beautiful melodies of power metal, and while they aren't the most technical, their abilities are more than sufficient to impress anyone who listens to metal.

Vocalist Daniel Heiman is the most outstanding musician on here as far as musicianship goes. His performance to this day is essentially unrivaled in the genre. His cold, sharp voice remains crystal clear and unshakably stable during the highest-pitched sections, and deeper parts as well. And his range is more than impressive. Just check out "Highlander" at about 7:11. Enough said.

Drummer Christian Nyqvist also puts on a hell of a show, providing some of the most complex, most sophisticated drumming you've ever heard in the genre. It's almost as if he had a different pattern for each and every single riff, and his fills are very tasteful and well-placed in the songs. He is highly skilled at using the double-pedal, and with his varying, creative usage of the cymbals, he helps to color the music even further. It is hard to imagine doing it any better than he did.

This record is truly one of a kind. I'm not so strict about 100% ratings. In my mind, if a record manages to take me away and teleport me to another reality, I will give it a 100%. But if I was stricter, and I would only give one perfect score per genre, this album would get it in the power metal realm. There is nothing that would take the record any further, anything you would add or take away would ruin the record. It is the definition of perfection. The unique, philosophical, emotionally charged approach to power metal created these songs that are so deep, so amazingly liberating, so healing to your mental wounds, that there really is no price tag that would match the value of this masterpiece.

Like butter scraped over too much bread - 62%

The Bard with Bright Eyes, September 13th, 2022

Whenever I discover a new band I'm interested in, I always go through their discography in the chronological order. Thus, my first real taste of Lost Horizon was their debut, Awakening the World (I was already familiar with the intro and the legendary final singalong of Highlander, but that's it). That album is an excellent piece of highly energetic, uplifting and atmospheric EUPM, with lots of variety and epic moments that constantly keep me captivated. Being impressed by that album and knowing that it's generally glossed over in favor of the follow-up, I approached A Flame to the Ground Beneath with high expectations. "I can't imagine how breathtaking this album has to be to overshadow a beast of an album such as Awakening the World", I thought naïvely. Little did I know that Lost Horizon seriously dropped the ball when writing this album.

When I discovered Lost Horizon, I instantly compared them to Manowar due to the "shirtless band members" album covers; a comparison that proved to be more precise than I initially thought as I further listened to the band. Unfortunately, Manowar has an impeccable talent for writing dullest, most boring riffs imaginable, and this is a trait Lost Horizon shares as well (on this album). Just look at the verses of Lost in the Depths of Me and see how the band is trying to get all Call to Arms on our asses. That's the problem that permeates the whole album: the riffs are mostly 6/8 or triplets chugging which are in no way imposing or outstanding. Nor do they support the vocals and the leads, they are just there for the sake of being there. There are some interesting riffs on this album (mostly in Cry of a Restless Soul and Think Not Forever), but the majority leave no impression at all. No riff monsters such as Sworn in the Metal Wind to be found here (the middle part of Think Not Forever is as close as the album comes to that territory). And it's not just the riffs, either. Vocals aside, most of the album is middling and lacking in substance.

This ties in to the fatal flaw of this album: it attempts to be several times more grandiose than Awakening the World, despite having only a half of that album's musical ideas. It is almost ten minutes longer, yet it sounds like it has much, much less material than Awakening the World. The songs are 7-8 minutes long on average (synth-only tracks aside) and have enough musical ideas for about half of that amount of time. The album is seldom repetitive, but the majority of the songs still fell overlong and tiresome to hear in their entirety (with some songs being better than others in this regard). "Overambitious" is a word that perfectly describes this album. The band has 20-25 minutes of amazing, "Kamelot's purple albums"-tier music and attempts to make a 50 minute album out of it. That endeavor is doomed to fail.

As already mentioned, the vocals are the only consistently amazing element of this album (and let's be real here, the only reason people praise this album as highly as they do). Daniel Heiman sounds are mix of Fabio Lione, Roy Khan and Eric Adams. He has a huge range and an immaculate control over his voice, although it may take a while to get used to his tone (once, I was showing my friend Highlander to see where the "WOAH-OH-OH-AH-AH-AH-AAAA-HA-AH-AH-AH" meme originated from, and he immediately noted that despite singing excellently, Daniel sounds like a wimp; something I agreed with at the time). He can also be compared to King Diamond or John Arch in the lead guitar-like way he utilizes his vocals during some moments. However, unlike those two, Daniel's vocals don't add a lot of depth to the songs. His vocals are consistently enjoyable (with the shriek at 7:14 of Highlander being the zenith of his performance, though I think that the shrieks at 1:44 and 1:54 of Pure are excessive), but aren't multidimensional like Diamond's and Arch's vocals. Another way to say it is that, although Daniel's performance is great throughout the album, the vocal lines themselves aren't (with 3:33 of Pure, 2:29 and 6:15 of Cry of a Restless Soul and the majority of Highlander being notable exceptions). This means that the boring segments of the album remain boring, in spite of Daniel's top-notch singing.

Other than the vocals, the drums are noteworthy and I'd say they are unjustly overlooked. They're not constantly amazing, but they do have their moments of utmost brilliance (most notably the intro roll of Pure and the numerous chops in Cry of a Restless Soul). But my favorite part of the album drum-wise is the 6/8 to 4/4 time signature shift at 9:40 of Highlander. It's a simple and seemingly trivial detail, yet unbelievably effective.

The leadwork is very disappointing. The leads themselves are great, but too scarce. They usually appear at the end of verses very briefly to spice them up a little and nothing more. It's as if the band knows they are sorely lacking ideas and have spread the leads sparingly in hopes that the music sounds more visceral than it actually is. The leads tease me more than they please me, or in other words, they make me wish they lasted longer or were better implemented more than they actually enrich the music. Don't get me wrong, they're not entirely unenjoyable. They just feel like massively wasted potential (just like the whole album).

And I have to address the synth-only tracks. You thought Varg's ambients are boring? These tracks make Dauði Baldrs and even Morbid Angel's dungeon-synth songs sound like Klaus Schulze's Picture Music. Especially with titles such as Transdimensional Revelation and Deliverance, you'd think these songs will be astral, psychedelic masterpieces. Instead, they are half-assed "80's space sci-fi" fluff with no atmosphere or substance. Like the intro of Savatage's Power of the Night, but lamer and longer. They're merely yet another way the band needlessly stretches the runtime of this album.

Of the six actual songs, two are pure filler: Lost in the Depths of Me and Again Will the Fire Burn. Bland, boring, unexciting, uninteresting, whatever adjectives synonymous to these there are perfectly describe these two songs. Not even the vocals and the leads can save them. The former of the two does get better as it goes on and picks up the pace towards the end a little, but not enough to make the song worthwhile, while the latter has nothing going for it whatsoever due to its lame whispers and pedestrian melodies.

Fortunately, the rest is better, though even these songs would benefit of being a minute or two shorter each (Think Not Forever being possibly the only exception). Cry of a Restless Soul is easily the best song here. Energetic riffing, compelling melodies, lots of epic moments, it's as good as anything on Awakening the World. Some people say that the spoken section is the best part of the song, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around that as the chorus, the shriek at 5:11 and the chanting at 6:15 are all vastly superior to it. I mean, it isn't bad, but it's needless and is certainly no The Sentinel or Night Crawler. Still, it doesn't ruin the song, as it's definitely worth it to endure 20 seconds of cheese for 8 minutes of awesomeness.

Highlander is another praiseworthy tune. This one is basically the EUPM equivalent of Jag Panzer's The Crucifix or Fates Warning's Epitaph. Not quite as good as either of the two since there are segments that should've been shortened (such as the "na na na" part), nor is it as good as other legendary 10+ minute long EUPM epics (And Then There Was Silence, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Treasure Island, The Raven Child etc), but the general effect is the same. It accomplishes what the rest of the album fails to: it's a midpaced 6/8 voyage with a huge atmosphere, clever foreshadowing (compare 4:36 to 10:30) and absolutely climactic finale. I'll assume that this is also the reason why this album receives so much praise, as that outro can easily fool the listener into thinking that the album was better than it actually was.

The remaining two songs are a bit more ordinary, but still enjoyable. Pure has a few dragging moments and excessive shrieks, as well as the fact that it sounds like recycled The Kingdom of My Will, but all that is made up for by the soul-melting main lick, the gallop after the chorus and the singalong at 3:33. Think Not Forever is a groovy rocker with interesting guitarwork (both riff-wise and lead-wise) that completely explodes during the solo. Fuck yes, this is what the album desperately needs more of, instead of dishwater-dull meandering which is merely a failed attempt at being epic/atmospheric at best and pointless filler at worst.

This album would've been a masterpiece if Lost Horizon wasn't so full of themselves. Hell, if this thing was an EP with Pure, Cry of a Restless Soul, Think Not Forever and Highlander, it would've been good. But no, they had to bloat and stretch the album to absurd proportions for no good reason. It's hard to say if the band ran out of ideas and hoped that the vocals would carry them through or if they got lazy because they realized they have one of the finest vocalists ever. Whatever the case may be, it doesn't change the fact that they are biting off much more than they can chew, and the album as a whole greatly suffers for it. I know I'm repeating myself here a lot, but really, whatever "Doing too much with too little" analogy you may think of is perfectly applicable here. The debut does not suffer from any of the issues mentioned here. Hell, even the ambient pieces are interesting there. That one is much more worthy of your time and the legendary status than A Flame to the Ground Beneath.

a lame to the ground beneath! hahaha! - 40%

caspian, April 3rd, 2022

WIthout wanting to get too deeply into a very boring Personal History of Myself, I really enjoyed this album 15+ years ago but a few very good moments aside I don't nowadays. It's entirely possible that this album just hits harder if you're a hella earnest teenA. Equally possible that the album has a few big old weakpoints that are kinda obvious in hindsight.

It's kinda front loaded in that the best tune by a mile is the opener. Well, the proper opener. It's uplifting, it's energetic, very catchy, the lead line is a lot of fun, and anyone who's got those early 20s sads would certainly identify that "There is a beauty that I long for" etc etc. The problems that are more present later in the album- jumbled, rambling songwriting, that it really isn't remotely heavy or viseral (even for europower) a complete and devastating lack of riffs, metric fucktons of cheese- are there, they're just buried under, in this case, a bunch of cool shit.

But when the cool shit ends- or at least when it doesn't dominate- it gets hard going. Lost in the Depths of Me is cool at the start but thoroughly overstays it's welcome as it rides its' three or four ideas deeply into the fucken ground. Cry of A Restless Soul has the cheesiest spoken word section this side of Agalloch and/or Manowar- it's another well overlong one. I get wanting to paint on a big canvas, get that epic vibe going, but most of the tracks here could be a fair bit shorter with absolutely no drop in quality. The synths are consistently super cheesy, offer nothing in terms of interest, and serve as a good reminder as to just how deeply odd some european things are. I can't imagine them flying here.. entirely possible I'm giving my countrymen too much credit. Anyway, they could be completely jettisoned without a single drop in quality, the layering would still be fine- make the guitars play different stuff, so on and so forth.

Honestly, imagine hearing The Song of Earth and being like "yes, I am glad they have a keyboard player".

The guitars are a big problem. I don't think I'm some almighty RIFF FIEND who insists on a dark angel-esque amount of riffs per tune. I just like to hear guitars play cool stuff, which I don't think is a particularly controversial opinion. AFTHGB has plenty of pretty fun, lyrical, if not slightly samey lead parts, which is neat. Aside from those moments, it's chugging or ringing out chords, with very few exceptions. Yes, this shit is very vocal centric- that doesn't mean you can't write interesting parts, it's no excuse to just chord out the whole thing. The rhythm guitar is at a bad folk songwriter level; maybe this is fine for some but I've always hated it and that's no change now. I want big guitars in metal. Vocals pretty much hold the whole thing up, all "cheap shitty apartment with expensive fittings" kinda shit. He's not a bad lyricist- or at least he could be much worse- and he has some hella range. But let me just repeat that I want big guitars in metal. If I wanted vocal driven music I would listen to hard rock.

Looking back on this bit of angsty nostalgia, I guess if I wanted to be harsh I'd say that when I was a dude who was a massively overweight loser with no hobbies, a desperate need to touch grass and big tfw no gf vibes (let's just say I'm glad this preceded social media) I found this deeply inspirational/aspirational. I'm still a thoroughly shit bloke but evidently I have enough cool things in my life nowadays where the lyrics about being a restless soul and so on don't stick anymore. Good for the genre, perhaps, but that's very faint praise.

An incredible atmospheric masterpiece - 100%

The Clansman 95, June 29th, 2020

Lost Horizon's "A Flame to the Ground Beneath" is one of those albums that not only stand as the best outputs of their respective subgenre, but also represent a unique and still unmatched experience that no other musician has ever been able to repeat. I don't know if the term "atmospheric power metal" has ever been used before, but if someone asked me to describe the music contained in this 53-minutes musical journey in a few words, that's the best term that could come to my mind.

The music on "A Flame to the Ground Beneath", indeed, is obviously power metal at the core, but the approach of the band to songwriting is something I haven't had the pleasure to witness anywhere else. A dense, transcendental and mystic atmosphere permeates the whole record, granted by thick keyboard layers and synths that often complement the compositions also through intriguing arrangements; the guitars don't take the front spot, although they are perfectly audible: the production is indeed meant to complement and the emphasize this whole atmospheric take of the band on power metal, and thus every instrument results perfectly discernible in the mix, without ever standing above the others, while enveloped in the fluid auditory lake made up by the keyboards.

The drumming is extremely precise and features solid double bass rhytms, while the bass work is simply outstanding: usually it plays at once with the drums, emphasizing the whole rhytm section, but each time it's given the occasion to shine it enriches the composition with complex licks and arrangements. This results evident throughout each song of the album, but particularly in "Again Will the Fire Burn", "Cry of a Restless Soul" and especially "Think Not Forever". The spicy bass lines on "A Flame to the Ground Beneath" sure are a joy to the ears, but the guitar work is no less! Usually the riffs rely on full-bodied chord progressions and gallops, that allow the keyboards to shine the most, letting the sense of the atmosphere intact; nonetheless, melody is an equally important component of the guitar playing of Lost Horizon, thus proving the clear Gothenburg origin of the band members.

The leads space indeed from complex, evoking and emotional melodies to melodic yet technical solos, and are characterized by a great stress on the use of the vibrato technique and artificial harmonics: this unique style is meant to make every single note as powerful and relevant as possible, valorising it instead of simply flooding the listener with a cascade of sounds, thus perfectly serving the whole atmospheric purpose I mentioned earlier. Finally, it's impossible not to point out the astonishing talent of vocalist Daniel Heiman, whose unearthly vocal range, accompanied by his crystalline yet badass timbre and superb vocal technique, resulted in an emotional, superb interpretation that has made the history of the genre, representing the final guarantee about the outstanding quality of this musical product.

The whole platter is composed of nine tracks, three of which are short synth instrumentals that are meant to serve as intro/outro and interlude to the actual songs, that are generally far over the five-minutes mark, with the sole exception of "Again Will the Fire Burn". The songs' structure is definitely complex and unconventional, and especially the vocal arrangements are really studied and varied; the "stanza-prechorus-stanza-repeat" structure is carefully avoided, in favour of a more progressive/atmospheric approach. I recommend listening to the whole album, since each song is unique in its own way, and all of them are top-notch material, although a special mention goes to the incredible epic "Highlander (The One)'', a 12-minutes journey capable of inspiring the deepest and most intense feelings one could ever get while listening to this kind of music. A final mention goes to the excellent lyrics, that are extremely deep and far more refined than the average power metal band, mainly dealing with themes of truth, self-empowerment, will to power and self-confidence, thus being the final icing on the cake of an already perfect album.

Only time will tell if Lost Horizon will return, breaking the silence that followed the departure of Heiman and Olsson in 2004; for now, I suggest you to listen to this epic journey in the world of spiritual enlightenment and inner strength, and to be faithful: remember that the force of will can make even the impossible possible.

Better, But Not There Yet - 80%

A Friendly Observer, March 14th, 2020

Lost Horizon is an interesting case. Near the peak of the turn-of-the-millennium power metal renaissance comes another act from Sweden that drops a debut of real promise, 'Awakening the World', and a follow-up under two years later, before disappearing. A lot of reviewers and fans at the time of this album's release were a bit blinded by this band's potential, though, and failed to hear some of the disjointedness to their work. Which isn't to say this album isn't good, or that Lost Horizon wasn't a very promising act. Both of those statements are true. But 'A Flame to the Ground Beneath' isn't quite deserving of all the hype.

First things first: the conventional wisdom about the singer is right; he is supremely talented. His voice is exceptionally smooth and controlled and is definitely one of the best power metal voices of the 00s. The synths provide a sort of Nordic-trademarked icy atmosphere and sometimes even are the center of attention, but never feel like they dominate. Every song here has high-quality, highly melodic guitar work, and the guitars usually get the superior melodies.

There's really only six songs here, so each one really needs to count. I'm not categorically opposed to interludes and intro tracks, but you've got to do them right, and albums like 'A Flame to the Ground Beneath' give them a bad name: these are lazy, boring, and, not being labeled as intro/outro/interlude tracks, arguably attempt to deceive someone buying the album (it would have been bought exclusively in physical form when it came out) that there are more songs on the album than there really are. Would it have been so difficult to create some beautiful synth-driven atmospheres? Instead there is just ambient mush for three minutes for outro track 'Deliverance', for instance. So lazy and boring!

At any rate, the songwriting for the longer tracks (8+ minutes) is a significant step up from those from 'Awakening the World', and everything here is full of musical ideas. But despite the singer's magnificent voice, he is often handed surprisingly boring vocal melodies, requiring the guitars to do heavier lifting than they ought to. It's clear that they are trying to write catchy hooks to go along with everything else, but they just aren't really up to the job. Their melodies are more rhythmically interesting than most power metal acts', however, and aren't bad or boring -- just underwhelming relative to the high quality of the guitars, synths, and, in an even bigger surprise, drums. Yes, power metal fans -- here is an unambiguously power metal act with good drums! The engaging drum work provides surprising and surprisingly consistent elevation to this album.

If only the songwriting was a little bit more focused. Not one of these songs has a pop structure or is chorus-driven, which are usually two hallmarks of these styles. But if you're going to incline out toward prog influences, you need to do it right. To my mind, the star track of this album is 'Think Not Forever', which does almost everything right and is one of the most effortless-sounding songs Lost Horizon recorded. At 6 minutes, this is actually one of the shortest songs on this record -- the shortest, 'Again Will the Fire Burn', is underrated and has some unnerving vocal and synth lines. The best of the longer pieces is 'Cry of a Restless Soul', which never loses momentum, features authentic self-reflective lyrics, and as a whole generally encapsulates the manic highs and depressive lows of the life of the artist and seeker. There's a lot here to take in, and you need to spend a little time with these songs to rightly get into them.

The only song that goes beyond ten minutes, 'Highlander', unfortunately, is bloated as hell, with obnoxious chanting ('Na-na-na-na-na' -- seriously, I'm not f**king with you), a preponderance of spoken-word sections -- which should be used very sparingly -- and repetitive melodic ideas. If I could trim about five minutes of fat off of this song, I think I'd have something solid and serviceable, but this band does not know how to say 'Enough' or 'No' and we end up with these overcooked tracks instead. 'Pure' is an interesting choice for an opener, with relatively subtle melodies and nothing obviously hooky, yet full of passion and energy. It's also representative of what's to come: an album that even more fully embraces the prog tendencies of the debut, yet somehow is even more purist in its power metal tropes than last time, especially in the vocals.

One general problem: this album is oddly devoid of riffs. There is just too much going on here too much of the time when there should be something anchoring the song, giving it a center of gravity. Therefore much of the time my enjoyment of this album feels overly abstract, like it's something I 'should' like, on paper, something I 'appreciate' but don't fully love. That's definitely not the case all the time -- I really love 'Think Not Forever', for instance. But it's true that even on the longer songs I enjoy, like 'Cry of a Restless Soul', it doesn't pack the same visceral wallop as the longer songs of bands like Epica and Sonata Arctica or even Power Quest, for me. But that says a lot about my inclinations within power metal, I suppose; many who love Lost Horizon love them precisely because they are not much like those bands.

At any rate, this is important listening for power metal fans, and I think there's a lot of interest here for metal fans generally. But this is also the album's problem: because it is trying to be too many things at once, it rarely becomes great at any individual aspect of what it does, even though it's a solid record as a whole and even has a distinctive atmosphere and identity. Look at each of the individual parts, though, except for the vocals, and there's a little less 'there' there than first meets the ear.

I wish Lost Horizon had continued to record together; their third or fourth album could have ended up being a real masterpiece. There's a lot of ambition and talent on this album and I think they had it in them to make something really great. But on this album, they weren't there yet; they were still a very good, promising young act. Nonetheless, there's still a lot of high-quality stuff here to recommend, and I'd pick up their third album in a heartbeat were it ever to appear.

Heiman deserves better - 55%

BastardHead, January 31st, 2014

This is another one I don't think I'll ever fully understand. Lost Horizon, once upon a time, was probably the most hyped power metal band in the universe (at least on the corners of the internet I frequent), and they're still cited as one of the few examples of great Europower from people who can't stand Europower. Now I, as a noted Europower fanatic (stop lying to yourselves and embrace Rhapsody and Nightwish already, dammit), this filled me with conflicted anticipations. On one hand, surely they must be one of the most impressive bands in the style if they can transcend fandoms so seamlessly, but on the other hand, there must be something wholly different about them that makes them so easily removed from their geographical scene. After nearly a decade of listening to this album roughly once a year, I think I can finally speechify my feelings towards Lost Horizon.

They rule, they suck, they're middle of the road, and most of all, they're disappointing.

Honestly, I still struggle to give a concrete answer as to how I view them from a qualitative standpoint. I think there's a ton of potential at play, and there are some stunningly brilliant moments thrown around from time to time, but there are also long stretches where I find myself checking how much time is left in the song because it's just starting to bore me so much. The band tends to be both awesome and lame at the same time, and at the end of the day I think the most poignant phrase I can use to describe them is "wasted potential" or "high-quality disappointment".

I know I have a habit of letting hype taint my views of a band, but I'm not even letting that in when discussing Lost Horizon. They're so disappointing to me because Daniel Heiman is, without a doubt, one of the most talented vocalists I've heard in all of power metal. Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard a more sublime balance of power, control, and range. There are guys who have some qualities but lack others, like Joacim Cans of Hammerfall who is magnificently controlled, but wimpy as shit and sports what seems to be a half octave range, or Jens Carlsson of Persuader who sports a fairly impressive range and enough power to provide electricity to a small village, but sometimes flays wildly around like he's just lost himself entirely (in this case I don't view it as a bad thing, but from a technical sense it's not as impressive as Heiman). Heiman is incredibly strong and incredibly clean at the same time, punctuating his performance with eardrum bursting high notes surprisingly tastefully. He also uses his voice as a third guitar for many moments, notably "Highlander", where he has several moments of choreographed flourishes where his voice is carrying a melody that most other bands would logically use a guitar for. I seriously cannot stress enough how impressive he is as a vocalist and how tastefully he showcases his talents.

This is such a bloody shame because the rest of the band is about as by-the-numbers and dull as you can imagine. This band gets a lot of love from non-Europower fans for odd reasons like "they're Europower without the faggotry" or "they're just better, obviously", when really this is about as dorky as any random Italian flower metal band. I don't know what qualifies as the "gay" elements in the style, but there's no lack of major scale melodies, huge synths, soaring vocal melodies, double bass, catchy choruses, it's all here. The only difference is that all of it is dialed back to the point of tedium. The band takes the idea of Swedish/German flower metal and just saps all of the batshit insanity out of it. There are no booming symphonics, only subtle keys. There are no obscenely poppy or catchy numbers, just moments where you'll catch yourself subtly nodding your head or tapping your foot. There are no grand sweeping choruses, only simple melodies that, while effective, just kind of happen at a pedestrian pace and never do much to grab the listener.

But BH! You've basically just described German speed metal, which you always say is your favorite niche scene!

Yeah, kinda, except not at all. Flower metal is usually just the foundation of that early speed metal I love so much with dozens of layers of sugary fun on top. Constant double bass, huge melodies and bombastic orchestrations. The problem is that Lost Horizon doesn't have those superfluous elements, nor do they even have that base. They're not fast, they're not over the top, and they're not ridiculous or fun.

But BH! That just sounds like USPM then, since it's based more on riffing prowess than melodies or vocals!

And oddly enough, USPM fans really seem to flock to Lost Horizon. I can kind of understand why, since (while guitar/synth melodies aren't completely absent (check something like "Think Not Forever")), the guitars seem to take a rhythmic focus most of the time. If you take the goddamned immaculate vocals out of the equation, you're left with almost nothing of interest. The rhythmic showcase is dull as shit because there are almost no interesting riffs to be heard. This is why I can't fathom the USPM fans adoring A Flame to the Ground Beneath so much. Blue collar USPM bands like Omen, Jag Panzer, Helstar, Manilla Road, and others are just loaded with neck breaking and creative riffage. Whenever the pace picks up to a higher tempo, Lost Horizon just does the generic flower metal thing of just simple chord progressions with a ton of palm muting, and whenever it's at a more mid pace (which the band seems to be most comfortable with), it's just dull chugging or uninteresting meandering. I feel like the band themselves understood that Heiman was the main draw here, and so nearly everything they do is simply a backdrop for his vocal acrobatics. There is pretty much only one thing I can give the band credit for outside of the obviously brilliant frontman, and that's that the solos are insanely good. When the guitarists decide to just let loose, holy crap they can really melt faces.

I keep comparing Lost Horizon to scenes they're not really a part of, but the reason for that is that they come off to me like they're trying to play one style with the vision of another at times. It's hard to tell which is leading which, but it comes off as kind of awkward. Are they trying to take the over the top bombast of Europower and filter it through the more sophisticated lens of USPM? Or are they taking the simplistic, down-to-earth attitude of USPM and putting it through the more grand scope of Europower? It feels like both at times, and it just comes off as a worst of both worlds. And really, the only reason I'm trying to compare the two styles is because of where the band's popularity stems from. The real scene they fit into perfectly is the northern European prog/power scene, with bands like Tad Morose, Morgana Lefay, and Pagan's Mind. Granted, I don't really like any of those bands all that much for the same reason I find myself so conflicted with Lost Horizon. Musically, they just bore the crap out of me. A Flame to the Ground Beneath is loaded with great moments that all involve one member, and the rest of the band does next to nothing interesting or worthwhile. There are a whopping six real songs that aren't ambient interludes, and half of them are 8 minutes or more. They're structured creatively and Heiman is entertaining as always, but they just drag on for what seems like forever, and whenever it's at an instrumental section I just find myself yawning, waiting for the singer to come back.

That's the biggest problem with A Flame to the Ground Beneath to me. It's focused on things like "maturity" and "songwriting", and I'm putting those words in "air quotes" because they so frequently seem like codewords for "boring" and "not at all entertaining". Maturity is paying your mortgage on time and reading the newspaper every morning over coffee, having fun is spending all of your money on beer and samurai swords and reading fantasy novels before leaving to go join your friends for an all night session of "let's see who can climb this tree and jump into the lake with the most backflips". I know what I'd rather do, is all I'm saying. It's no different here, the songs are presented as something like a "thinking man's metal" but it just comes off sloppy and trite until Heiman shows up and wails like a banshee. The problem is that so much of the album's running time is taken up by mid paced banality, with no instrumental segments seeming to try to break out of the greater whole of mediocrity. There are moments of great songwriting, like the chorus of "Lost in the Depths of Me" or the final stretch of "Highlander", but on the whole it just feels like filler in between the vocal showcase. Honestly, all of the most cliche parts (when the band goes for a more straightfoward section with double bass and big melodies) are all the highest points of the album. This is a band that could benefit from being more predictable and typical. Honestly, if they embraced the ideals of sugary, over-the-top flower metal, they could easily reign as a top tier band. I get that fun wasn't really the aim of the band, but this isn't fun to listen to. There's no sense of entertainment from the vast majority of the album. Something like, I dunno, The Crimson Idol isn't fun at all, but it's rewarding in some capacity. A Flame to the Ground Beneath is not rewarding in any way apart from the one obvious element that I can't stop fawning over.

I've been struggling to quantify exactly what percentage rating I'd give this album, and it's really because the good parts are extraordinarily good, but the majority of the album is just not worth listening to. This was initially going to be part of my Jerking the Circle series (back when it was supposed to be seven reviews in seven days, before I got impatient), but I really can't bring myself to bestow the series title onto this because I kinda like it in a way. If you took Heiman out of the equation, and replaced him with literally any other vocalist, this would score unbelievably low. Like 20 or 30 percent. But that's where the draw of the album comes into play, because he is so damn good that he makes the unbearably dull instrumentals and uninteresting songwriting just seem like a goddamn masterpiece. But since he is the frontman, there is at least a small amount of enjoyment to be gleaned from the album. I really, really wish he could find a more energetic and entertaining band to front, because he deserves to be in front of something that can actually get your blood pumping. So in the end, a score in the fifties will have to suffice. It's not a negative score, because this isn't a bad album, but it's not really worth recommending apart from the experience of just sitting in awe of Heiman's voice.


Originally written for Lair of the Bastard

Almighty Incarnation of the heavy metal ideal - 100%

waxlrose, September 18th, 2012

As the title above suggests this album is one overwhelming, unique and stratospherically powerful musical experience that will sink into your subconscious eternally, not only because it's reinforced with revolutionary powerful vocals and approach to the style but also thanks to the authenticity, belief and dedication that communicates through every track on its own. From the above-average production to the songwriting it will leave you with that special WTF? feeling where you will find yourself wondering what has just happened.

This is the band's second album released in 2003 under the "Music For Nations label". For the first time the band has under the leadership of the songwriter and the lead guitarist, Wojtek Lisicki, introduced dedicated keyboard player along with the additional rhythm guitar section that now makes the Lost Horizon lineup complete with 6 members altogether. This has obviously had a greater productional value on the bands progress not only in the sense of creating more progressive and instrumentally more fulfilled LP but in making the bands image, sound and charisma more versatile and capable for the live performances. To make our hungry ears fulfilled we have 7 full tracks coupled with an atmospheric intro and outro that makes the experience of a listener more galvanized towards an actual spiritually charged experience.

Lyrics are intellectual, sometimes complex and they'll be incomprehensible to most people with influences from the early Manowar era, all time Virgin Steele etc. Most of the lyrical writing deal with the highly introspective, spiritual, occult-like themes and higher ideals in philosophical sense of individual against collective, self-empowerment and freedom, so you won't be bothering with them as an impulsive "I listen only to the music" type of a listener.

Wojtek's guitar work is unmatched for the progressive power metal genre if you want to label them since officially they don't prefer "power" behind their name, they like to be considered as a true ethereal heavy metal band, outside the mentioned Manowar's meaning. Riffs, solos and their originality are unmatched for the most power lead guitarists, they literally "speak" dozens of emotional moods and anthems of a warrior individual, making at least 50% of the whole band with the respect to Christian whose drums ripped the devil himself with his double bass, speed and precision. Keyboards were a great addition to the debut, but here we have a dedicated rhythm/melody power maker, Attila Publik whose cooperation with Wojtek was obviously tight, even if Wojtek was a primary songwriter.

Highlight of both albums and the band, besides original and highly aspirational approach along with the philosophical and intellectual expression, is the vocalist, Daniel Heiman. His vocals are still being unmatched for the most heavy metal and extreme style singers since I've first heard him. You have vocalists like Kelly Sundown Carpenter, Iuri Sanson, Midnight, who are in some sense, at least somewhat similar in the timbre or the scream placement technique, false-folds use in reinforced power screams etc. but none of them had such naturally technical impact in being consistent, effortless, convincing (e.g. no falsetto or the over-lightness through time that would make you think he's finally shown some limits) and still so raspy (means that his muscles are still elastic and relaxed) in the highest ranges (e.g. B5-C6). Kelly is close but hearing the Outworld and Beyond Twilight performances in detail, they are great, still nowhere near astonishingly powerful and pipe-supported as Heiman demonstrated vocally on both Lost Horizon albums. His screams are far more powerful and convincing. You can't give him enough credit, standard of his own.

The track that stands out is 'Highlander (The One)' very popular(judging by the view counts) even on the YouTube mostly because of the last sing-a-long 'WOAH' part at the end of the song. It's a ~12min long epic (except "Cry Of A Restless Soul") filled with atmospherical, spiritual and emotional changes where the band explodes into their full force. Here we hear the absolute peak in progressive-like drumming filled with the time changes and smart structural dynamics in the solos and instrumental in general coupled with Heiman's unmatched and unbeatably performed harmonies, choruses and outer-galactic power screams. Stu Block of Iced Earth stated that he'd give any amount of money for Heiman's lessons.

To conclude, only once in a lifetime you can witness to the likes, as Iron Maiden, one and only Ronnie James Dio, GN'R(in terms of a sudden revolution), Riot etc. and many other bands, musicians, classical and other genius composers but in the whole galaxy and quantum universe there is no other band that has produced a more powerful, complete and revolutionary resemblance and reflection of the highest and truest ideals of the heavy metal lifestyle concept in thinking of thy individual. With the product of their talent and cohesive creativity Lost Horizon has united freedom and the individual into single form of existence by never being cheesy, immature, unclear but abstract, accessibly complex and powerful as you would expect from the TRUE metal band that'd crush conventional standards in making their own, expanded to all the lost horizons of unheard creativity.

This will be a hell of a journey... - 93%

Empyreal, August 5th, 2010

I don’t think I like this album for the same reasons as other people do. Yes, Daniel Heiman’s vocals are majestic, clear, powerful and all the other usual adjectives, but it’s the whole package that does it for me with A Flame to the Ground Beneath. It’s not the admirable technical prowess of the man that gets me, it’s the way he emotes and interacts with the music behind him, creating an atmosphere. It is a wild, thunderous atmosphere of ancient warrior pride, evoking long, wide fields of grass with dark, ominous clouds hanging over it. A battle might happen here, and when it does, it will be one rife with magic and spells. Fire will fall from the heavens, and sorcerers will sling lightning like discs from the Olympic Games. That’s the kind of atmosphere this evokes; that’s about the best way I can describe it. Adventure. Just pure, spirituous, cosmic and fantastical adventure, through medieval castles and plains to the darkest realms of space. I can definitely listen to this and get this mental image of an unsuspecting hero undergoing this philosophical, inspiring, introspective journey with all sorts of cool, mystical things going on. And it all started with A Flame to the Ground Beneath

Uh, yes, I was talking about the album…too many people pay attention to the man’s technically brilliant vocals and not enough attention to the music, which is quite full of merit on its own, too. And that’s why I’m here. So…get ready, because this is going to be a long one.

I’m going to say up front that I don’t think this is quite the be-all-end-all of power metal that some people do, and this review was really hard to write, since I’ve liked these guys for years and I really do think they make some good music. I just don’t think they’re quite as awesome as the reviews make them out to be. The album is a little too structured for my liking with those ambient tracks they stuffed in between the real songs, and those are too long altogether – half a minute or so is okay, but two and three minute interludes are really, really pushing it. “Deliverance” in particular is just useless; three whole minutes of spacey nothingness in place of what could have been another song. Really lame. Just give us the songs without interludes in between, guys; we’ll like you that much better for it. What, did you really just think you had to make it look like a full 9-song album? We would still listen to this if you only had six tracks on it.

I really hate to start off a review with the gripes, but the actual songs on here are so damn good and so technically sound and perfect that it sucks that we have such a biting detractor. Maybe they figured we couldn’t handle a whole album of their mind-blowing brilliance and so they just had to put the interludes there to make sure our fucking heads didn’t explode from the amount of intensity and power on display. That’s probably a good idea, but I still think the album would benefit from being more condensed and less spread out between atmospheric interludes. It would make the whole thing more unified and allow it to feel more like a singular musical “trip” than an overly structured and laborious piece of work. Which is always a plus for me at the very least.

So…where were we? Ah, yes, Daniel Heiman’s voice and its relation to the quality of the rest of the music. Heiman has a great voice, and it’s pretty much perfect for the genre he’s playing. He has a ton of range and diversity to his voice and it seems like he can do pretty much anything – diving headfirst into a silky, shimmering wail that reaches the stars, twisting his voice into a more muscular shout to a powerful, battle-ready midrange. I think my favorite vocal moment on the album, even topping the famous “Highlander,” is this, from the beginning of “Cry of a Restless Soul”:

Storm...you almighty, earth, seas and flames
Here I am standing
Bare in my honesty
Calm in the moonshine
Starlight rests my eyes
Pain wakes me conscious
Truth guides my mind


I imagine most of you have already heard this album upon reading this review, as it’s been famous for 7 years as a power metal herald, but this really is the best vocal moment on this album. It is not without its competition, but just the way he intones these lines in that mystical, deep half-growl with those ethereal keyboards backing it is just awesome.

The songwriting is really mature and interesting, and I use those words a lot, but the Lost Horizon boys really have a good handle on it. The riffs are dense and fluid, tumbling out of the gates like fine white water rapids, mingling with the spacey, triumphant keys masterfully. The drumming is always spot on with a ton of crushing beats and charging gallops that are subtle enough, but still really well done. The songs are all really epic and dynamic, diving and sweeping through tons of different moods and parts in every single track. Hell, “Lost in the Depths of Me” and “Highlander” have enough different parts to make an entire album of a band like Pyramaze or Iced Earth’s mediocre songs. And they even prove they can still get down and write a catchy single with “Again Will the Fire Burn,” with its mean groove and condensed structure. It’s probably the worst song on here, but it’s still pretty damn solid.

“Pure” sweeps through the speakers with an acrobatic drum intro and then winds into a catacomb of subtle density and deliberate restraint, making for a real firecracker of a song when you realize how cool it really is. “Think Not Forever” is similar, although even more progressive in nature, with a heavy Queensryche bent and a hovering, wailing chorus that will stick with you for a long time. I have to say, though, as much as I hate to go with the crowds…yeah. The longest songs are the best ones. Witness the sheer jaw-dropping ecstasy and masterful scope of the epic “Lost in the Depths of Me,” which dives and weaves a tapestry of majestic melody and power metal might. “Cry of a Restless Soul” is the most traditionally oriented song here, with its galloping riffs and savagely warrior-like tempo cutting through the artistic fabric of the rest of the album with a razor-barbed cutlass. This song is a magnificent journey through the eyes of a tribal-painted warrior on a bloodsoaked quest; primal, colorful and passionate. Spellbinding, really; probably my favorite song here if I had to name one.

“Highlander” is the big one, though, as everyone and their goddamned grandmother will tell you. It’s a great song. It’s got a massive scope of vision, and it travels through a lot of really magnificent sounding parts, taking you from the highest mountain, where the wind blows your hair in all different directions, to the fields of battle, where you must fight to be The One, cutting off heads and communicating with the Gods themselves. Oh, and Heiman’s range is stunning, he can hit a million notes that most of us can’t dream of, blah blah blah. Isn’t it more exciting to describe how the music makes you feel instead of how technically accomplished it is?

So, yeah, this is a great album. It’s not the One Saviour of Power Metal, but it is definitely a stunning piece of metal from a time when they were dropping out like golden nuggets in Europe. It’s not the absolute best, but it is up there anyway. Lost Horizon were a great band because they commanded tremendous songwriting prowess, had a vocalist touched by the gods themselves and really knew how to conjure up atmosphere and feeling. I think that ticks all the boxes, doesn’t it? Nobody really sounds like these guys, either. The best word, although I already used it, is fluid. They craft songs with an ease that is like they’ve been doing it for centuries. They’re like archaic mages having perfected their craft. And since we haven’t heard a new album from these guys since 2003, I think it’s safe to say we need them back to help us conquer the forces of evil once more.

Come back, Lost Horizon. You were always cool.

Flames and Fury - 95%

AnalogKid, October 11th, 2009

“A Flame to the Ground Beneath” is the second release from Swedish power/proggers Lost Horizon. The album bears much the same message as the first album, but is a bit more complex, polished, and generally mature this time around.

Like “Awakening the World”, this album features a couple of synthy-instrumental tracks. They’re decent mood-setters, but the first track, “Transdimensional Revelation” is mostly just spacey noises with no melody. Any strangeness or doubt is swiftly driven away by “Pure”. The song blasts off with driving drumbeats and a great guitar hook, and doesn’t slow down for the duration. Daniel Heiman quickly makes it clear, however, that he’s not leaving all the attention to the guitars, launching into his incredibly potent singing and melodic screaming with gusto (if you haven’t heard this man sing, there’s really no one else like him). “Pure” is probably the strongest shorter track on this album, being up-tempo and catchy throughout. It’s also the introduction to this album’s round of existentialism, for which Lost Horizon are well known (the group is equal parts power metal band and messengers of the existentialist philosophy).

“Lost in the Depths of Me” begins considerably slower, with a grand introduction, before featuring a couple of very precise guitar solos which introduce the main melodic theme. This one clocks in at almost nine minutes, and there’s some great musicianship. Next, “Again Will the Fire Burn” provides us with a shorter listen. It’s a well-crafted song, but doesn’t provide quite as much interesting material as the previous tunes.

A brief interlude, “The Song of Earth” is a synthesizer arrangement that provides a floating, ethereal introduction into “Cry of a Restless Soul”. The vocals enter immediately on this one, and there’s some excellently executed tremolo picked rhythm lines and layered melodic screams that make this song a fantastic listen. Heiman has the spotlight for the majority of the time, as the song runs its eight and a half minute course. Immediately after “Cry of a Restless Soul” comes to an end, Heiman rips everything back open with a tremendously high bellow that is the prologue to “Think Not Forever”. At a slightly slower pace, a more mellow chorus, and with a simpler song structure, this song could be picked as the “single” off of this album, if Lost Horizon did that sort of thing.

The last song (discounting the again spacey, tuneless “Transcendence” that brings the album to a close) is “Highlander”, subtitled “The One”. This monstrous, sprawling composition is a feat of musicianship that has rarely been equaled in metal, and is easily worth the price of the album alone. Clocking in at just under 12 minutes, “Highlander” is divided into several distinct sections, and are typically divided by an instrumental segue, accompanied by a scream or two. In my opinion, this is Daniel Heiman’s definitive work. He sings low, he sings high (VERY high, at a soprano high D), and everywhere in between, with tremendous power and passion. The melodies are great, the lyrics hopeful, and the music absolutely of the highest caliber.

And really, that sums up the whole album. Great production, the drums and guitars are very tight with each other, and will satisfy the rawest or most refined metal tastes. Wojtek Lisicki has made his mark as a songwriter with very satisfying compositions. While the vocals are highlight of any album that Daniel Heiman performs on, the guitars are precise and create excellent solos. My only real complaint with the album is the instrumental tracks that sandwich the rest of the album. “Song of Earth” is a decent little piece, but the minutes of crackly, swooshy sound before and after don’t seem entirely necessary. I’d rather they’d written another 5 or 6 minute quality song instead.

One of my favorite metal albums ever. Lots of raw talent, a good message, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Looooooost in the depths of meeeeee! - 95%

Khat57, April 16th, 2009

Wow.

Just wow.

Daniel Heiman, if you could see what your departure has done to Lost Horizon fans, I'm sure you'd feel guilty. You broke up as close to perfection as power metal could ever get, and now you're in some crappy band with one of the other Lost Horizon guys, nowhere near as successful as you'd be if you were still with Lost Horizon.

LH's debut "Awakening the World" was a pretty adequately awesome album with crunchy guitars, uplifting choruses, and... really weird cover art... But "A Flame to the Ground Beneath" took everything from "Awakening," multiplied the awesomeness factor by 10, and added a tinge of prog to make one of the finest power metal albums--- well, metal albums in general--- of all time. A bold statement? Maybe. But let's take a look.

"Transdimensional Revelation" is an intro track. I usually hate these, but the mood-setting done here is amazing, with mysterious space-y sounds that leave you guessing what's gonna happen next. You might even turn up the volume a little bit to hear if there's something you're missing... Roughly two minutes later...

WHOA! The drums kick in as the intro segues into easily one of the most high-energy, rip-roaring, KICKASS songs ever! "Pure..." Words can scarcely describe this song adequately. The guitars sound amazing, and the keyboards hop in on the action without overshadowing everything else. Then that shriek comes in... Daniel Heiman! THE GOD HIMSELF!!! As with most of the other songs on the album, the lyrics revolve around self-empowerment, and enduring will, and being your own person, and all that jazz. But coming out of Daniel Heiman's mouth, it all sounds so orgasmic!!

After you catch your breath from all the awesomeness that just transpired, things slow down a little bit for the nearly 9-minute (!!) "Lost in the Depths of Me." The beginning kinda drags a bit (just over two minutes of near-wankery), but the rest of the song goes at the perfect speed to recuperate from "Pure."

"Again Will the Fire Burn" is the song most reminiscent of "Awakening the World," as being shorter than all the other songs with lyrics, and begins with an epic part whispered by Heiman (I'd go gay if I could have that part whispered by Daniel Heiman himself into my ear... Eh, bit of a stretch, but it's epic, nonetheless). The rest of the song carries on with more kickassery (it is SO a word!), and then we have...

"The Song of Earth." Like "The Song of Air" from "Awakening," it's a minute-long keyboard-driven composition. It's... nice. But... What's the point? What makes it so earthy? Likewise, what makes "The Song of Air" so airy? They actually both seem more suited for the opposite element; "Song of Air" for earth, "Song of Earth" for air. Myeh. I ain't Wojtec Lisicki (chief songwriter), so I ain't gonna argue.

"Cry of a Restless Soul" is another beastly long song (for your average listener) but cuts the "slow-it-down" BS from "Lost in the Depths of Me," and is pretty in-your-face, with a flurrying guitar, wind instrument section (whut? It sounds cool, though, seriously... They're actually on most of the songs), and some occasional sweet vocal harmonizing from Heiman.

"Think Not Forever" kicks it up even more, starting right off with a trademark Heiman scream, a nice, crunchy guitar riff, but keeps it very melodic, with an uplifting, epic, self-empowering chorus and a harmonious guitar solo. This is probably my 2nd- or 3rd-favorite song from the album. I dunno, this and the epic that follows are tied for 2nd. (though I do my best to make the epic sound as amazing as freakin' possible)

"Highlander (The One)"-- OH. MY. GOD. 12 minutes of pure EPIC ON A PLATTER. Amazing lyrics, Heiman's best vocal performance on the album (IMO), the instrumentalists in top form (just listen for all those drum fills!); I just wouldn't know what to cut from this 12-minute piece of near-perfection. 5:30 to 6:02 has to be one of the most uplifting moments in all of metal without it being too cheesy. Lost Horizon could not have ended an album any better.

Really makes ya wonder, how are they gonna top this? Well, it'll be a while before we find out... As mentioned earlier in this review, singer Daniel Heiman left along with one of the other guys. While Heiman isn't irreplaceable (they are currently looking), it's going to be hard not comparing whoever the new guy will be to Heiman. I mean, the guy's got a freakin' amazing voice! Heck, I bought Crystal Eyes' "Vengeance Descending" just to hear his amazing voice outside of LH! (I mean, the rest of that album was good, too, but I just about had a fanboy-gasm simply knowing he was on there! Even if it was just for one track!)

OH YEAH, ONE MORE TRACK! "Deliverance" is really just three minutes of... more spacey noises, much like the opening intro. It doesn't segue into anything awesome, so what's the point? Again, I'm not Wojtek Lisicki, so I ain't arguing. But I cannot tell you how often I sat through this track in hopes of something actually coming up at, like, the very end... Which is futile, since, ya know, THE CD IS PRESSED. NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE, MORON. Regardless, any metal fan needs to pick up this CD, if just to hear what all the hype about Daniel Heiman is about.

Novel, but Epically Pure - 97%

Rhapsorizon, March 5th, 2008

Being at a supple young age of 15 at the time, it was online that I discovered these masters of metal. Well, truthfully the knowledge of this band was generously offered to me by my friend and Power Metal connoisseur, Alex of the band "Chapel". As per usual to most scenarios where this band (LH) is shared amongst the community, it was introduced to me as a way of competing with the novelty of another Power Metal band's vocals (I believe it was something run-of-the-mill like Dragonland or Rhapsody), and Lost Horizon was to prevail over all other Power Metal bands with their vocals, along with the epic atmosphere of their efforts, and highly-disciplined musicianship that resides the band's strong stance in the Power Metal world ever since.

Lost Horizon are fairly renowned for their appropriate cheese factor, but are more so renowned for their ridiculous singer, Daniel Heiman. Daniel poses as a sort of Idol of the throat in the metal world, being second to ab-so-lute-ly none in this department. His soaring vocals that seem almost limitless, presenting no evidence of using falsetto or airy head voices, are truly astounding. It has been rumoured that some singers have outdone Daniel in his range, but this has never been backed up. No male metal singer will ever be able to pinch off that astounding high D in the song "Highlander (the one)" on this album.

Anyway, on with the review.

This album is a Power Metal idol; second to none. It has everything from amazingly high and low male vocals, disciplined musicianship, well-structured leads and solos, and it's all coated tastefully with very epic, ambient synths. It's a record that will keep your feet double-tapping and your head bobbing without you even realising it.

The sound is floor-bolted very precisely by the drummer, maintaining a mechanically impeccable rhythm and timing. The position of the drummer seems to flower into the department of discipline, precision and timing more than anything. He is more like a human metronome than a metal drummer. As some may find this aspect of the percussionary role to be boring in other scenarios, this style of drumming is actually highly appropriate for this album. This style adds a somewhat technical aura to the sound, but also accentuates the guitars and bass superbly. Although the vocals and drums don't share an intertwining role in relation to the concoction that is mustered by each instrumental part adding to the recipe, they still share a fraternal position in the album.

The keyboards are very, VERY present in this album. Oh, yes indeed. Most "epic" Power Metal bands are putridly awash with inappropriate and excessive keyboards and synths, overpowering the guitars and just generally stinking out any promising potential. But not in this album. The keyboards and synths in the album have had their presence set at the perfect level. Although the ambient synths obviously bear a distinct role in this release, they are in no way excessive or inappropriate. No, the keyboards and ambient synths here are very relevant to their preset position, and add a marvelous, epic atmosphere.

The guitars in this album are very, very structured, and act as the ribs and veins of the group. A lot of their work is original, and mostly play as almost a second platform of percussion. The guitar leads are obviously written to be played dually, and the solos are tastefully played, seldom wanky and provide a great feel and spice to the already-superior ensemblic sound. They have a very clean-cut and crisp tone, ranging from the high-end leads that cut through the low-end rhythm guitars, creating an all-round professionally-executed, atmospheric sound. Although there is a lot of reverb and delay, it maintains a relevant position in the general sound and feel of the album.

The reason for the small drop in points is the limited presence of virtuosic bass work. Although the production of this album is very bassy, there is no real "time to shine" for the bass in this album. Being in preference of the stringed department, I would rather the focus be on the guitars and virtuosic bass, as the bass and guitar are the sole stitching for the drums and vocals. I believe the bassist has a lot of potential and is in a high position being a part of this ensemble, and it would have been nice to have a little more focus on him. But, his effort does provide the sound with balls, which I guess is what is needed in these sorts of releases.

And now for my favourite aspect of this album, and the band in general: The vocals. There is no subtle way to put it; they are FUCK - ING - UN - BE - LIEVE - ABLE. Daniel's vocal range is spastic, ranging from the very lows to the ridiculous highs, without resorting, at all, to falsetto. I would say he easily has a 5 1/2-octave range, pitching his highest note recorded at the ridiculous high-D in the song "Highlander", at around 7:15 minutes. Daniel has, easily, the most prominent role in this album. His vocal abilities are unmatched, and are pretty much the reason that Lost Horizon kicks the shit out of any other Power Metal band. He has a sweet vibrato, maintaining its strength at every pitch, and occasionally adds a very subtle yet tricky rasp to his vocals when the most epic moments approach in each track. I might also like to add that in his shining moment, in Highlander, he still adds a subtle rasp to his high-D, which means only one thing: He can go higher. But I guess this review isn't about the hypotheticals, so just take my word for it that if you don't enjoy the music (for whatever reason, i.e., insanity), you will fucking love this guy's vocals.

Production-wise, this isn't shabby at all. The bass was just a little over-mixed, and I did detect a little recycling going on, but in general, a fine fucking job in this department, without a doubt.

All in all, a damn fine album. A must-have for any Power Metallers out there, and if you're diving into the metal scene for the first time, take this record as a perfect example of late Power Metal.

Fucking 97/100!

The Metal Philosopher's Parables. - 100%

hells_unicorn, October 3rd, 2006

Once again Lost Horizon has graced us with a full length album, and once again it is a standout release, though there have been some changes. The no compromising, we are who we are, individualist philosophy that dominated their debut is still in full effect. However, the songs in this collection function less as generalized anthems of individualism and more as parabolic stories that carry the same message.

One musical change that is obvious is the longer time length of the songs, mostly due to a more progressive approach to song structure, in addition to a longer winded lyrical approach to the concept of personal freedom and self-empowerment. "Cry of a Restless Soul" and "Lost in the Depths of Me" are both 8 minute plus epics with a load of changes. And the 11 minute plus super-epic "Highlander (The One)" is a sort of opera aria format combined with a renaissance brand of theme and variation or chaccone format, consisting of a grouping of repeated sections that are highly different from each other. Although power metal acts dabble in some rather complex musical formats, this kind of hybrid metal/renaissance format is something that is right out of the Prog. genre.

We do have one track that is shorter and possesses a more straight-forward song structure, and that is "Again Will the Fire Burn". This song is lyrically the most similar to the debut album, presenting a more generalized theme of a person's struggle and ultimate victory against the cult of conformity. It consists of a very heart-felt and passionate vocal delivery by Dan Heiman, and some fine lead work by Wojtek Lisicki.

The instrumental work here is alot more atmospheric and nebulous than that of the previous release. "Transdimensional Revelation" has a highly cosmic feel to it, and fits in perfectly with the album cover art. "Deliverance" is a serene and dreamy sequence that has a quasi-Pink Flyod quality to it, and leaves the listener with a strong sense of fulfillment at the end of a very spiritual journey. However, "Song of the Earth" is the instrumental highlight of this album, functioning as the perfect intro to the second most powerful track on here "Cry of a Restless Soul", and also melodically strong enough to stand on it's own as a 1 minute and 20 second overture.

More moderate lengthed tracks "Think Not Forever" and "Pure" are also noteworthy as they provide a more mid-ranged amount of changes, yet still enough to contrast it from the bulk of the debut. The former has some rather dramatic tempo and thematic changes, in addition to some highly thought provoking lyrics. The latter is an up tempo rocker with a highly memorable main guitar riff, combined with more riveting vocals by the Etherial Mangnanimus.

On a personal note, it was a bit sad to hear that Dan Heiman, in addition to guitarist Fredrik Olsson left the band. However, despite what many will say to the contrary, Heiman is replaceable. Unlike other bands whom lose their vocalists, this task will probably prove the most difficult as Heiman has a highly unique and powerful voice, but even the most virtuoso instrumentalist or singer can inspire others to do it better. If there is a person who is not replaceable in this fold, it is the mind that concieved the ideas that created this amazing band, and that mind belongs not to Heiman but to Wojtek Lisicki.

One of the things to understand about the road of individuality is that there are no guarantees no matter where you go, because you do the things you want to do on your own terms. No two human beings are identical, not even twins born with the exact same genetic code, because the metaphysical universe that we live in does not repeat itself exactly. Heiman chose his musical path, and the others who stayed chose there's. If you don't like the resulting change, no one is forcing you to buy their next release. You are not the artists, you are the spectators, and it is not you whom dictates what the artist creates, only he does that.

In conclusion, this is yet another amazing and thought provoking album by a highly inspired bunch of musicians. While this is the last chapter of the Heiman era of Lost Horizon, I suspect we have not heard the last of these guys. This album is recommended to traditional and power metal fans alike. Hold you heads up high and "Again Will the Fire Burn".

A minor disappointment - 81%

fluffy_ferret, August 6th, 2006

To those unfamiliar with Lost Horizon, an update is in order. The band plays power metal, similar to the 80s, early 90s style of bands like Manowar, but with the intricacy and speed of bands like Helloween. It’s fairly easy to compare Lost Horizon to modern bands like Hammerfall (and they have their roots in the 80s anyway…) too.

Despite being such an old-fashioned and conventional band, Lost Horizon has a lot of strengths. The band plays with an amazing energy and speed. Their vocalist Daniel Heiman is pretty incredible when comparing him with other power metal vocalists and guitarist Wojtek Lisicki is a damn creative guitarist who never gets boring.

This description holds true for the album I’m reviewing now, A Flame to the Ground Beneath, but something has changed. To understand what I mean, I have to bring up their debut. It was an album filled with energy, creativity and speed. Awakening the World was its name and what an appropriate title that was as it (at least to me) revived the power metal style and proved that such albums were not a thing of the past.

In A Flame to the Ground Beneath, there’s definitely something missing. What’s missing is some of that energy that was evident in the band’s debut. Although it’s definitely there, there’s a little less energy, a little less creativity, a little less speed. The songs are also longer and not as straightforward. If you compare track length, the songs in A Flame to the Ground Beneath are considerably longer, which is to the albums disadvantage. A band like this is best when playing at full speed. Lost Horizon slowing down is almost like Dragonforce slowing down. It’s just… wrong.

So, instead of an album in which almost all the songs are standouts, you get an album that’s bit of a sleeper with few to no standouts. Perhaps it’s harsh to call A Flame to the Ground Beneath a disappointment, as the songs are nowhere near bad (as my score will indicate), but to me it’s just that – Lost Horizon can do better. The question now that Daniel Heiman has left the band is if they can ever release an album that’s at least as good as this one. Obviously they won’t ever touch on the greatness found in their debut. That’s a sad prospect for such a promising band, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it holds true.

Does a terrible disservice to all power metal - 99%

Aeturnus65, March 5th, 2006

Sure, it’s been said below a few times already, but it’s worth repeating a thousand times over: this album represents the pinnacle of the power metal genre. All of the necessary ingredients came together – majestic guitar-playing, fine keyboard work, powerhouse drumming, and, most of all, some of the best singing the metal world’s ever witnessed. It is certainly doubtful that Lost Horizon can ever match this disc, especially without Daniel Heiman on board, but either way, 2003’s A Flame to the Ground Beneath is simply magical.

For starters, LH is a much more complete band with the additions of Fredrik Ollson as second guitarist and Attila Publik handling keys. Publik’s keys especially help coat the whole thing in a thick atmosphere that was somewhat missing on the debut. Call it cheesy if you will, but I really think the overall experience is greatly improved. The remaining members are all as good as you remember, likely even better. Wojtek Lisicki co-handles guitars wonderfully, and the man is simply a master songwriter (he wrote just about everything on here sans the instrumentals). Martin Furangen does an admirable job on bass, though as is often the case with power metal, he is slightly buried in the background. Finally, dummer Christian Nyquist likewise holds his own, as never once does this album even approach a simple double-bass fest. On their own, each member is incredibly talented; as a coherent unit Lost Horizon represents an entity that easily transcends the best this genre has to offer.

I’ll go ahead and dock a single point for having three of the nine tracks be instrumentals, with only one of those having any real value. That being said, the remaining six songs are sonic gold. “Pure” kicks things off in grand fashion with a terrific galloping intro, and is still probably my favorite song on the album. Really, any of these six songs is more than worth the price of admission alone, especially the epic “Highlander (The One)”.

As others have noted, the star of the show, beyond Lisicki’s songwriting prowess of course, is vocalist Daniel Heiman. One of the most powerful and commanding vocalists to ever hit the genre, Heiman has the range and talent needed to put this band over the top. Just listen to songs like the aforementioned “Highlander” and how his voice so easily shifts from low to high to mid-range, and so on, all sounding 100% natural. The funny things is, without Lisicki, Heiman has been rather average (Crystal Eyes, anyone?). Not sure why this exactly is, but something about the Heiman-Lisicki team brought out the best in both.

Compared to most power metal, this album might take a few listens to really sink in. With that in mind, give it a few tries if it doesn’t at once click for you. Lost Horizon has developed a sound that is at once uplifting yet filled with a certain sadness, a sound that towers over most of the generic singalong stuff that gives the genre such a bad rap. Catchy isn’t the operative word here, so don’t expect to be hooked immediately. If you absolutely hate power metal, chances are this disc won’t do anything for you. For anyone else, this one gets the absolute highest recommendation possible. For a taste of the best the power metal field has to offer, get this disc along with the Lost Horizon debut. For two mindblowing albums Lost Horizon ruled a genre, simultaneously making most other power metal discs seem plain bad in comparison.

Whoa, now this is one overrated as fuck band - 69%

L_H, August 21st, 2005

Now, I really, REALLY have to restrain myself from giving this album a much lower rating and bashing the shit out of it simply because off all these Lost Horizon fanboys telling me how this is the most unique, incomparable, deep, complex and progressive masterpiece by the greatest band evar and whatnot. It seems that Lost Horizon are the most overrated band of the latest times, at least this side of Machine Head. All that fanboy talk really annoys the shit out of me, but alas, I can't bash this band, because when all is said and done, they are definitely not bad - in fact, they are quite a competent and solid modern Euro Power band (and yet, that's almost all they are already).

No, this album is far from unique. It fits the (often false) cliché of Modern Euro Power Metal to the boot: It really all sounds the same, we've heard it all before etc. There's a lot of Helloween in here, with a few leanings on Gamma Ray and Stratovarius as well, but really not as competent as any of those. Catchy happy riffing, keyboards either thin and modern or mystical-ambient sound (sometimes both layered over one another), tempos varied from mid-pace to fast, songs that are long and try to be epic (sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much and end up more repetitive rather than epic), a lot of high-pitched vocals (but far from all - more on the vocals later), a non-existent bass, standard non-technical guitar solos that sometimes feature decent melodies and sometimes not so much, and drums that are kind of just there, do the job and support the music without being distinctive.

So, the songwriting is fairly solid and rather consistent - backing keyboards blend comparably well into the general melodies of the songs, riffs are kind of there - they're never really memorable, but always rather decent while you hear them. The vocal lines put the singer to a very good use - a lot of high-pitched singing, but varied with mid-range and occasionally soft vocals. They're often strongly in the forefront of the music - a lot of times, it seems oriented strongly towards the vocals, whereas everything else, even the guitars is pretty much focused on being background. Oh yeah, there's two rather pointless and boring ambient tracks on here ( "Transdimentional Revelation" and "Deliverance") that really don't give you anything. The synth track "The Song of Earth" is rather decent though, for it actually features music and melody.

Now, the most distinctive feature of this disc - the singer. Daniel Heiman is often noted as one of the, if not the, most awesome singers ever in all of metal or all of music or whatever ( At least by LH's fans). Well, there's a lot of exaggeration going on here - he's certainly no Ripper Owens, or Kai Hansen, or David Defeis, or Eric Adams, or Bruce Dickinson, or Harry Conklin, or any of the best singers out there, but he's still pretty damn good and gives pretty much a 100% performance throughout. He can pull off vocals from mid-range to high soprano marks really well, and does a fair job at screaming (well, his screams could do with more of a punch, but they're still decent). His best performance is probably on the soft vocals - his voice sounds very melodic, emotional and clear in that domain.

So what do we have altogether? A solid, competent modern Euro Power album with tendencies towards epicness that is quite consistent but lacking in variation (note how I don't even go into the single songs apart from the interludes - you've got pretty similar stuff throughout) or originality, featuring a very talented singer who definitely is within the upper fields on the list of Power Metal vocalists and gives a worthwhile performance pushing his abilities to the maximum, but nothing else that really stands out in any way or hasn't been done before (and often better, at that). It's not really wrong to pick it up and quite a fun listen overall, but it's far from an essential album and you're not really missing anything if you just leave it out.

simply awesome!! - 95%

krozza, October 10th, 2004

Back in 2000, I slotted an album titled ‘Awakening the World’ by Swedish metal band ‘Lost Horizon’ at no.6 in my Top 10 albums of the year. Close friends of mine couldn’t understand my logic. First, who the fuck is this band they said? And secondly, what is so special about their debut album? I tried forcing it down their throats, mostly resulting in some ambivalent, dismissive attitudes. Maybe I was a little over the top in my praise for LH but I was positive there was something ‘special’ about this band. Just you wait until their next album I said.

Since then, and having realized that a bands ‘second’ effort is usually a difficult assignment, I was prepared for a total let down with LH’s follow up to ‘Awakening…’ I was also willing to bear the brunt of ‘I told you so’ like comments once my so-called metal brothers had heard this new disc. Fortunately my fears have been waylaid in the most emphatic fashion. Lost Horizon have not only delivered a massive metal epic in ‘A Flame to the Ground Beneath’, they have also put the entire true metal/power metal genre to the sword.

Lost Horizon is categorized as a True Metal band by others and is officially “marketing” themselves under that tag. Comparisons to Hammerfall and Stratovarius have also been bandied around as points of reference – yet, as far as I am concerned, for LH to be mentioned in the same sentence as those bands is pure folly. Sure, stylistically Lost Horizon is a classic eighties true metal inspired act and sound wise, inspiration is derived from that entire metal era - like Maiden, Judas, Manowar, Dio, Riot etc. Yet, LH is so much more. The power metal aspect is also worth mentioning, yet they work so far outside the circle of that genre’s limitations it’s absurd. If I could suggest something a bit more specific, LH have all of the hallmarks of classic USA epic metal coupled with classic European power metal ideology – add the obligatory ‘modern approach’ production wise and you have something a bit more tangible. Not forgetting the seriously awesome melodic aspects to this band, both musically and vocally. And unlike much of the true/power metal acts they might have a SLIGHT resemblance too, LH provide all they do without one hint of CHEESE.

‘Awakening..’ was a full on, double bass/fast up-tempo metal record. We could have expected the same here. Yet, true to their word, AFTTGB is a different beast than the killer debut. It is by comparison, not as technical nor as aggressive. It is, however, a much more harmonious, melodic and balanced. A certain maturity and red line purpose runs through this record with magnificent confidence. ‘A Flame…’ is also extremely dramatic, emotive and epic in nature. Seven long drawn out tracks (plus an intro and outro) ranging in length from 6 to 12 minutes makes this a challenging listen also. But I tell you now, not one second of ‘A Flame..’ is flawed. The production and musical arrangements are simply brilliant – powerful and clear with maximum effect.

As magnificent as the music is, it is the vocals that take LH into their own metal stratosphere. LH possess a singer that is so talented that I find it hard to comprehend how no one is falling over backwards in awe at his amazing range. He's reaching high notes with such ease (many singers of this ilk force such a style), his mid tone is incredibly powerful his versatility as a singer is evident through his use of a wider range than the previous album. This guy is up with Jorne Lande in terms of power and emotion, that’s how fucking good he is.

Trying to spot highlights is a waste of time – let me just say ‘the whole fucking lot if it’. Seriously, there is no filler here – each track has its stunning LH quality stamped all over it. At nine tracks with two instrumentals (a spacey intro and outro) I’d would have loved the band to slot another ‘song’ on this just for a little more impact, but at 52 minutes and seven very lengthy ‘songs’ included, there isn’t too much to complain about.

For the record punters, close to the end of February, I can safely say that this album will be riding very close to the top of my best of list come the end of 2003 – A big call, but on the strength of AFTTGB, there would have to be some massively good releases this year to force this out of my calculations. A MUST HAVE!!

So it's not AWAKENING, but it's still damn good - 82%

NightOfTheRealm, May 28th, 2004

Here we are but three months into 2003, and already I have the most anticipated new release (at least for me) in my sweaty hands. Lost Horizon created quite the storm in 2001 when they released their incredible speed-power metal debut, AWAKENING THE WORLD on the unsuspecting metal world. New to the band are two additional members, Fredrik Olsson (Equillibrian Epicurius) on guitars, and Attila Publik (Perspicacious Protector) taking care of the keys. Other than that, very little has changed. Lost Horizon still play over-the-top power metal with plenty of gallop and flair. Daniel Heiman still screams like the maniac he is; his powerful, clear voice defining the characteristic sound of Lost Horizon.

Getting A FLAME TO THE GROUND BENEATH into my player as quickly as possible, I am greeted by a typical Lost Horizon intro, following into “Pure.”

Wait a minute...I’m a bit shocked and disappointed here. The leadoff track did not utterly and completely own me as did “Heart of Stone” on the debut. Ok, nothing wrong with the song, but not as catchy as I was expecting from the leadoff.

Minor setback aside, I move along to “Lost in the Depths of Me,” and 8-minute monster of a track. This one is slower, and does not hit quite as hard, though it has some nice synths creating a powerful mood to the track. “Again the Fire Will Burn” follows, though this is the only track on the album I do not care much for.

“Cry of a Restless Soul” is where the album picks up again in full force. Here is the best song on the album; the gallop, the power, is incredible. This is pure Lost Horizon, much like my other favourite LH song “Welcome Back,” from the debut. Here, the addition of hte second guitarist and keyboardist completely flesh out the band and are quite the asset. Though clocking in at over 8 minutes, it rides like a five minute song.

The centerpiece of the album is the twelve-minute epic “Highlander (The One),” which is dedicated to the Highlander movie, the Highlands of Scotland itself, and to Highlander, the previous incarnation of Lost Horizon. I love the driving riffs here, and though the chorus is a bit soft, it perfectly fits the nature of the song.

Out of the 9 tracks on the album, three are interludes/instrumentals. Geez...only six real tracks on the album. That’s one fewer than the seven on AWAKENING. This was one of the major complaints I had with the debut. My other major complaint with A FLAME TO THE GROUND BENEATH is the sequencing of the album. Much like Manowar’s WARRIORS OF THE WORLD, I feel that the tracklisting could have been more balanced instead of placing the weaker (in my opinion) tracks at the beginning of the album. Unlike the debut, A FLAME TO THE GROUND BENEATH did not click with me on first listen. On the second, however, I was hooked. Lost Horizon set the bar very high with their debut, so it’s no surprise that they cannot top it on their second attempt. Still, A FLAME TO THE GROUND BENEATH is a very strong album worthy of the Lost Horizon title. True power metal fans will love this one.

(originally written by me for www.metal-rules.com, March, 2003)