EP REVIEW: The Heartbeat Of The Devil – Lord Of The Lost
Regardless of the opinion surrounding it, bands have been putting out intermediary EPs between full-lengths for years. Is it ever a successful venture or do they serve to detract from the quality of the LP before it? German goth metal outfit LORD OF THE LOST hope for the latter with their EP The Heartbeat Of The Devil.
Bookended by two versions of the title track, this EP follows on from last year’s Judas. The filling of this gothic sandwich is comprised of three cover songs reimagined in the band’s lamenting genre. Wanting to buck the trend of tacking tracks onto a tracklist as bonus items, The Heartbeat Of The Devil boasts a 22-minute runtime.
“My empire feeds on me” broods Chris Harms in a fashion not too dissimilar from Ville Valo or Jyrki 69 [69 EYES]. Set against a bastardisation of new wave and gothic metal, the title track sets the tone for what could be an interesting 20 minutes. There’s a certain amount of attention-seeking required to open an EP with iconography close to devil worshipping. Pi Stoffers’ piquing riff gives way to Gared Dirge’s bubbling synths. The slow burn these elements create separately would have worked incredibly well together to up the intensity, but having them separated serves to dampen the flame. What is intended to strike us in our fleshy hearts becomes mealy-mouthed with a monotony we begin to tune out. “Teach me to satisfy your desire” doesn’t stoke the flames of passion, leaving us in the cold.
There are two roads to travel when it comes to covering someone else’s material. Stay faithful to the original or reimagine it completely. There are certain musicians on both sides of the fence whose cover versions will go down in history as some of the greatest of all time. LORD OF THE LOST covering LADY GAGA’s Judas is not one of them. One of the most popular songs by a formidable force within the pop world demands gusto and wholeheartedness. In this instance however, the instrumentals feel incredibly flat. There are small flourishes of electronica within the more metal riffs but these lilts have to be listened for with keen ears. Harms‘ vocals come across as aggressive barks which don’t fit the song’s dedication of love – albeit for the wrong person.
What follows are two very different songs in terms of their source material. IRON MAIDEN’s Children Of The Damned gets treatment from Harms‘ cello for a haunting introduction. Mixed with piano and Class Grenayde’s buzz-filled bass, the world building has a lot of potential. The gothic element and morose vocals of LORD OF THE LOST lends itself wonderfully to a song as poignant as this. Synth and piano melodies combine to brighten the song but this seems to deconstruct the soundscape. The world building continues with Wig In A Box. Taken from the musical Hedwig And The Angry Itch, LORD OF THE LOST spin the yarn of Hedwig Robinson, a genderqueer German rock ‘n’ roll singer looking to escape the realities of the word they inhabit. Sombre piano melodies allow the deepness of Harms‘ vocals to shine. The traditional bloom of a musical number goes over well in metal as both are theatrical in nature. Perhaps this is why Wig In A Box works so well. LORD OF THE LOST come across as a band struggling to find their identity throughout this EP and find it within a song about embracing an escape.
As the 22-minute runtime draws to a close with the piano version of the title track, we find ourselves deflated. Misjudged covers and a struggle for reason cause this EP to sail over our heads. Our disappointment doesn’t come because of the band itself. 2021’s Judas was a decent record. The despondency lies within the distraction from it – an ill-timed release of newer material it would appear. In a game where timing is everything The Heartbeat Of The Devil brings the cardiovascular activity of Judas’ cycle to a slow patter way before its time.
Rating: 5/10
The Heartbeat Of The Devil is out now via Napalm Records.
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