Lost In Thought is a U.K. prog metal band whose debut album “Opus Arise’ is receiving a lot of buzz within the progressive metal community. Listening to the eight tracks on this album, it’s easy to see what all the hype is about! These guys are inevitably going to be compared to their U.S. counterparts Dream Theater, check out the “DT-like” intro to “Beyond the Flames”. This is not necessarily a bad thing or a knock on LiT, just an observation.

       The songs are well crafted and the musicianship is top notch. The album starts of with the Lead vocalist Nate Loosemore has a nice vocal range very similar to James Labrie, which is especially showcased on “Seek To Find”, “Delusional Abyss”, and (my personal favorite) the ultra melodic “Blood Red Diamond” which starts off with a nice piano intro and kicks into a killer riff and amazing chorus. The fine keyboards performed by Greg Baker compliment the great lead guitar work by David Grey. Baker especially shines on the aforementioned “Blood Red Diamond” and “Seek to Find”, while Grey’s guitar playing is impressive, progressive, and tasteful. Check out the song “Delusional Abyss” for example which has a great guitar hook and “Assimulate, Destroy” has a very middle eastern flavor to it.

       All in all, this is a fantastic debut album that proves Prog Metal can be done well outside of Sweden and Norway! Lost in Thought will appeal to metalheads and prog fans as well. Color me impressed!

Rating 8.0