Utopia Lost
We were recently contacted by Sheffield based Utopia Lost, a 5 piece Death Metal band who are gradually gaining a reputation for their live show and unrelenting approach to music. The chaps were kind enough to put us onto their latest EP, And So It Begins, to see what we thought – so we hit play and sat back to see what was going on!
Opening with The Tide it’s clear that these guys have got an unrelenting and distorted approach to music going on, launching us into a melee of hammering drum lines, distorted guitars, rumbling bass and roaring vocals. Head down and hard hitting from the off, it’s clear that these guys don’t mess around or add in any unnecessary elements to confuse things, simply hammering out a track which is going to get you moving and get pits forming wherever it’s played. I’m going to disagree with their genre of death metal from the off as frankly, I think they’re doing themselves a disservice saying that, this is much more based around the ideas of melodic death metal combined with hardcore in my eyes, keeping a sense of melody and movement running through the track whilst also hammering that message home with a healthy dose of distortion.
Following on with It’s Hopeless, the band continue their distorted onslaught and leave you in no doubt that this is going to absolutely kill on the live scene. More death metal orientated this time around, there’s a real sense of power and distortion within the music yet it’s elevated by a sense of funky power, building a sound which is going to get circle pits moving, people writhing around and leave you trembling at the knees as it comes to a close. Storyteller continues this idea, once again launching us into a distorted melee of different elements and leaving you with no choice other than to join in with them. Syncopated from the off, this is an example of the bands musical understanding and ability form start to finish, combining the heavy guitar riffs with intricate lead lines, roaring vocals with cleaner sung ones and continued sense of power and aggression throughout. To me, this is one of the finest tracks on the EP, simply hammering home the sound of the band and leaving you unable to resist their sludgy and powerful mix.
Following on with Detritus the band continue their onslaught, launching into a death metal orientated mix of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and more of those guttural vocal lines. Powerful throughout, this is another track which stands out as a highpoint on the EP and surely suggests that the band will find their full power on the live scene. The combination of elements which the band have managed to incorporate into their sound is quite incredible, showing that it is possible to form a death metal sound and keep a sense of melody running through it, something which all too often gets lost. Closing with One From Home there’s one final hurrah on the EP, leaving on a seriously heavy note and showing that when they want to, these guys can do proper heavy. Throwing in breakdown after breakdown and combining them with roaring vocal lines, powerful bass rhythms and intricate lead lines, this final track on the album is yet another high point on the EP, leaving you with a serious taste for the band and wanting to know what’s going to come up next.
Death Metal is one of those genres which, over the years, has become distorted in the sound that we expect from it, but I think Utopia Lost are pretty damned close. There’s other elements going on here though which is why I disagree that they’re simply a death metal band, their music is more complex than that, showing that it is possible to combine genres to produce something new and exciting. This is a band to see on the live scene for sure, and one that I know I have to get out there to see!
To find out more about Utopia Lost, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with The Tide it’s clear that these guys have got an unrelenting and distorted approach to music going on, launching us into a melee of hammering drum lines, distorted guitars, rumbling bass and roaring vocals. Head down and hard hitting from the off, it’s clear that these guys don’t mess around or add in any unnecessary elements to confuse things, simply hammering out a track which is going to get you moving and get pits forming wherever it’s played. I’m going to disagree with their genre of death metal from the off as frankly, I think they’re doing themselves a disservice saying that, this is much more based around the ideas of melodic death metal combined with hardcore in my eyes, keeping a sense of melody and movement running through the track whilst also hammering that message home with a healthy dose of distortion.
Following on with It’s Hopeless, the band continue their distorted onslaught and leave you in no doubt that this is going to absolutely kill on the live scene. More death metal orientated this time around, there’s a real sense of power and distortion within the music yet it’s elevated by a sense of funky power, building a sound which is going to get circle pits moving, people writhing around and leave you trembling at the knees as it comes to a close. Storyteller continues this idea, once again launching us into a distorted melee of different elements and leaving you with no choice other than to join in with them. Syncopated from the off, this is an example of the bands musical understanding and ability form start to finish, combining the heavy guitar riffs with intricate lead lines, roaring vocals with cleaner sung ones and continued sense of power and aggression throughout. To me, this is one of the finest tracks on the EP, simply hammering home the sound of the band and leaving you unable to resist their sludgy and powerful mix.
Following on with Detritus the band continue their onslaught, launching into a death metal orientated mix of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and more of those guttural vocal lines. Powerful throughout, this is another track which stands out as a highpoint on the EP and surely suggests that the band will find their full power on the live scene. The combination of elements which the band have managed to incorporate into their sound is quite incredible, showing that it is possible to form a death metal sound and keep a sense of melody running through it, something which all too often gets lost. Closing with One From Home there’s one final hurrah on the EP, leaving on a seriously heavy note and showing that when they want to, these guys can do proper heavy. Throwing in breakdown after breakdown and combining them with roaring vocal lines, powerful bass rhythms and intricate lead lines, this final track on the album is yet another high point on the EP, leaving you with a serious taste for the band and wanting to know what’s going to come up next.
Death Metal is one of those genres which, over the years, has become distorted in the sound that we expect from it, but I think Utopia Lost are pretty damned close. There’s other elements going on here though which is why I disagree that they’re simply a death metal band, their music is more complex than that, showing that it is possible to combine genres to produce something new and exciting. This is a band to see on the live scene for sure, and one that I know I have to get out there to see!
To find out more about Utopia Lost, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
