LOST IN THOUGHT – Opus Arise (2011)

Lost In Thought, from Swansea, Wales, was formed in 2007 by guitarist David Grey and bassist Simon Pike with the desire to create fresh progressive metal.
They found like minded conspirators in Nate Loosemore (v), Greg Baker (k), and Chris Billingham (d).
Rather grand and impressive are two words I would use for their debut “Opus Arise”.
Between the caliber of song composition and musicianship, one would expect to hear this quality from a band with several albums under their belt. Other words to describe “Opus Arise” would by intense, powerful, and melodic.

Right from the first note of the opening song, “Beyond The Flames”, I could hear that Lost In Thought is full of musicians that make full use of their talents, but don’t go so far overboard that the average listener gets lost in confusing musical concepts. The song started with a drum intro ala Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy and entered to a very ‘Arabian Nights’ kind of riff that lead into a very groove based verse, then a break and a chorus that just got stuck in my head. Afterwards, the song just kept on getting better. An excellent opening song that just shows what these guys are all about.
“Entity”, the following song, kept the same line, a bit more straightforward and heavy.

“Blood Red Diamond” starts with a piano melody that reminded me of a lot of ’80s acts. This is a great track, the harmonies reverberates with melodic hooks that tickle your ears.
“Seek To Find” and “New Times Awaken” showed a more soften side of the band with a more melodic and mellow, especially the latter that reminded me a lot of Dream Theater’s ‘Prophets Of War’ because Loosemore has a very similar vocal pattern as James Labrie’s. I could also see how great Grey’s guitar playing is with an amazing full of soul guitar solos.
“Delusional Abyss” turns on a more conventional melodic heavy track with softer segues, while “Lost in Thoughts” starts with subtlety but quick turns to blistering, hard-metal finish.
“Assimilate, Destroy” is, perhaps, the most elaborated piece: beginning with some mideastern notes it burns into powerful composition that blends progressive metal with some modern nuances.

As to the prog nature of “Opus Arise” it’s not overly complex: Lost in Thought is not trying to trick or confound you in their arrangements. Rather, they’re hoping to draw you in and entertain.
In the sense they are like their peers Threshold, Seventh Wonder and even the legendary Dream Theater.
The five young Welshmen were helped by Jacob Hansen at the production desk and he was able to build a perfect sound for them.
Final words to describe Lost In Thought and “Opus Arise” are skillfulness and passion. To the former, these guys are really, really good and play well together.
To the latter, the enthusiasm and energy of this band explodes from every performance.
The words together easily define Nate Loosemore superb vocals; this guy is huge, talented singer. But the words apply to all things: band, musicianship, songwriting.
Lost in Thought’s “Opus Arise” is genuinely exciting progressive metal, an impressive debut from a promising band.

01 – Beyond The Flames
02 – Entity
03 – Blood Red Diamond
04 – Seek To Find
05 – New Times Awaken
06 – Delusional Abyss
07 – Lost In Thoughts
08 – Assimulate, Destroy

Nate Loosemore – Vocals
David Grey – Guitars & Vocals
Greg Baker – Keyboards
Simon Pike – Bass
Chris Billingham – Drums

www.lostinthoughtband.com
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