Listen, Linkin Park Has Found a New Singer! - A Review of Lost Society's If the Sky Came Down

I've got to know Finnish quartet Lost Society as a vibrant thrash metal band with decent records and outstanding concerts. Times have changed however since the band has taken a turn towards metalcore, nu metal and groove metal in recent years. If the Sky Came Down barely reminds of the band's past accomplishments and might even come as a shock for occasional fans who haven't been following the band's recent developments.

Many songs on the album strongly remind of the early years of Linkin Park. Steady drums meet simple bass guitar play and relatively one-dimensional guitar sounds with an occasional use of samples. Almost everything is focused on emotional vocals that sound desperate, grieving and sad. While Linkin Park pioneered the commercial success of its genre more than two decades ago, Lost Society however fails to add anything new to the formula and leave its own mark. The vocals in particular sound overtly melodramatic and lack the energy of the band that inspired this genre shift. 

Linkin Park however isn't the only band that inspired this output. Several songs are obviously inspired by nu metal veterans KoRn with their atmospheric sound samples and sudden changes in style. While the pioneers however managed to sound creative, quirky and unpredictable, Lost Society's approach is lacking creativity, open-minded diversity and sincere energy. The essential element of surprise for instance is entirely missing on this output.

One more inspiration that needs to be pointed out is Pantera. Lost Society have even covered this band in the past. The American quartet had developed its very own sound with thunderous rhythm section, rough guitar sounds and aggressive vocals featuring highly emotional lyrics. Lost Society's approach however sounds a lot more toned down. The rhythm section isn't as thunderous, the guitar play is less distinctive, the vocals lack charisma and the lyrics sound rehashed.

The main issue of Lost Society's If the Sky Came Down isn't that the band is honouring genres that sound dated nowadays and have few followers but that their tributes lack creativity, energy and identity. My first thought when listening to this record was: ''Listen, Linkin Park has found a new singer!'' When it's that easy to compare one band to another, it isn't a positive sign for the group that is blandly copying the pioneers.

At the end of the day, Lost Society's If the Sky Came Down is only remotely interesting for adamant nu metal fans who miss bands like KoRn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park that were all the rage two decades ago. Anyone else should skip this release and rather explore Lost Society's past efforts for a healthy dose of inspired thrash metal. Lost Socierty's new identity might be a brave experiment for its members but won't lead them to artistic or commercial success. They should instead put an end to these recent developments and go back to the original style that made the band recognized and respected in the first place.

Final rating: 5%