Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Lost Horizon have definitley came back with a huge bang! I've been awaiting this album for at least a year and I almost had a relapse when it arrived in the mail. Thankfully, 'A Flame to the Ground Beneath' doesn't disappoint in
the slightest! Taking a slight turn with their musical direction, 'A Flame...' consists of more thought-out (and heavier!) sounding songs, and it may take more than one listen to really get into the album. Every song smokes! It's great to see that the addition of another guitar player and a full-time keyboardist is really working out for the best. I don't see how the production could get much better with this release (as far as big Power Metal productions go). 10 out of 10! Get this already!
'A Flame to the Ground Beneath' is the second album from our beloved warriors, Lost Horizon. Lost Horizon made their presence known throughout the nine kingdoms back in 2001 with their debut album 'Awakening the World'. Not only are they back, but they're back with two new keyboardists added to the lineup. I must say, this is probably one of the more anticipated albums of my life, so what do I think? Read on...

Starting with an odd introduction that makes you feel as though you are stranded somewhere in the middle of space, the second track "Pure" makes its presence known with some familiar opening riffs that Lost Horizon fans surely have come to love. This song is standard Lost Horizon, no fancy tricks or anything, just another solid song of which Lost Horizon can dish out so efficiently. The next song, "Lost in the Depths of Me", is another good song with lots of high-pitched wails by singer Daniel Heiman. After the next few songs, it becomes apparent that Lost Horizon decided to push the things that made 'Awakening the World' so great, into the spotlight: Heiman's voice and the band's musical ability. This results in more incredibly great screams as well as some lengthier guitar solos.

The sixth song, "Cry of a Restless Soul", is the absolute highlight of the album for me! Very up-tempo stuff that viciously forces you underwater and refuses to let you come up for air. Check out the screams around the 1:27 mark! Very powerful!! Another great song is "Highlander", which patiently awaits your ears towards the end of the album. This is a great song with a great atmosphere. Whenever I listen to it, I always picture the band playing the song in the sky, surrounded by clouds. The first half of the song is very good, but the second half is really the part worth noting. The way Daniel Heiman screams the "NA NA NANANA" segment gives me goosebumps everytime. The only other vocalist that can really make me feel that way is Morby, singer of Domine.

It took me a few listens to really begin to appreciate this album, but I'm slowly beginning to appreciate its greatness more and more with each listen. The choruses aren't quite as defined as the ones on 'Awakening the World', if that makes sense, but Lost Horizon definitely incorporate many great ideas into their music, which is always good. One downside is that the songs on this album probably won't have the replay value of the songs that 'Awakening the World' had, but maybe that's just my opinion.

So, for those of you living in caves and still raving about the discovery of fire, for those of you that got shipwrecked years ago and are stranded on an unknown island, scrambling for ways to put a boat together that will carry you back to civilization, and for those of you who are poltergeists from another dimension that don't even know what the hell you're doing here to begin with...if you want to feel a great rush of adrenaline, DO NOT go to the nearest amusement park and ride the new roller coaster that goes upside down 438 times; DO NOT go skydiving out of a plane 42425 feet in the air without a parachute; DO NOT throw a peanut 26 feet into the air and try to catch it in your mouth. Instead, buy a Lost Horizon album!!

Favorite songs: Lost in the Depths of Me, Cry of a Restless Soul, Highlander (The One)


--Garrett 1.25.03