Let me take you back to 25 August 2001. I find myself stood in the middle of a muddy field with 100,000 other people, this is the Reading Festival.  This was also the day I fell in love with the music of a virtually unknown Welsh band called Lostprophets.  It wasn’t their boyish good looks that got me hooked, it was the passion they put into their performance and the machine gunning riffs that blasted out from the stage.  I am not sorry to say that I have bought every single album and cd they have released since that day – often on every available format.

It was with great anticipation that I waited for the release of The Betrayed, the bands 4th studio album, not counting the re-worked and re-released Fake Sound.  There have been many rumours flying around in the past three and a half years since the release of ‘Liberation Transmission’. Some said that they had sold out, others were hoping for a heavier ‘back in the day’ sound.  Several demos were leaked, a couple of singles were released, and the old rumour mill kept turning enough to make true fans salivate at the thought of another album to add to their collection.

Fast forward to 18th January 2010 .... Release day for The Betrayed.  To say I was excited would be a huge under exaggeration.  I loaded my shiny new cd into my stereo, cranked up the volume, and sat back to enjoy. The drums pound around the room and the guitars blast in .... The boys are back.

‘If It Wasn't For Hate we’d Be Dead By Now’ is a real stomper of a track, nice and heavy with the distinct sound that the band were first known for. This track blends seamlessly into ‘Dstryr / Dstryr’ Good strong vocals from Ian that scream out at you to sit up and pay attention.

Time to slow things down a little now ‘It's Not The End Of The World But I Can See It From Here’ the first single from the album. This is a bit more in the vein of the tracks on  ‘Liberation Transmission’ and is incredibly catchy. 
‘Where We Belong’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album, (which surprised me as I am a real Shinobi fan) If the band had ever written a true anthem then this track is it.  It is mellow but bouncy but is so full of feelings.  To me it is the track that sticks 2 fingers up at the doubters and says ‘Suck it up fuckers, we’re back!!’

Hardly without space to breathe we take things back up to the ceiling with ‘Next Stop Atro City’. Hard and fast with lots of screaming vocals. This is one to get up and mosh to. This will be a popular live track.

‘For He's A Jolly Good Felon’ is very dancy with lots of whoa’s that people will enjoy singing along to while having lots of fun. This is the party track of the album.

A heavy electro filler leads us into the gentle piano sounds at the start of ‘A Better Nothing’ this track really reminds me of ‘Ode To Summer’ from Fake Sound, not because it sounds the same, but because it is full of emotion and the lyrics seem to be written from the heart.

‘Streets Of Nowhere’ takes things back up a bit with lots of la la’s and almost singing guitar work. I can see this being released as a single before too long.

A poppy intro takes us into another favourite of mine ‘Dirty Little Heart’.  Ian’s vocals are so good on this track, crisp and clear backed by a nice smooth musical background. I can see this being played live in between some of their heavier tracks to give the audience a bit of a rest, a real sway along song!

‘Darkest Blue’ has to be my favourite track of the album. It is preceded by a drum and piano filler but then leads itself into a strong offering of heady lyrics and smooth instrumental work that is alternated between guitar solos and almost acapella singing. A truly haunting track.

 ‘The Light That Burns Twice As Bright...’  is the final track on The Betrayed, and in true Lostprophets style this is almost six minutes long. It reminds me very much of ‘4am Forever’. Most of the track is Ian singing along to a piano with bursts of gentle guitars and light drums before it flips into a heavier sound near the end. This is a great mellow track to wind the album down with as it fades in and out of the speakers and vibrates around the room.

So, was it worth the wait?  Hell Yeah!!  I am so glad that the band decided to take their time with the release of this album and insisted that it was done their way.  They have kept their values and stayed true to their roots. 

They are not sell outs ... they are the LostFuckinProphets.

Lostprophets  ‘The Betrayed’  Visible Noise  18th January 2010 

1. If It Wasn't For Hate we’d Be Dead By Now
2. Dstryr / Dstryr
3. It's Not The End Of The World But I Can See It From Here
4. Where We Belong
5. Next Stop Atro City
6. For He's A Jolly Good Felon
7. A Better Nothing
8. Streets Of Nowhere
9. Dirty Little Heart
10. Darkest Blue
11. The Light That Burns Twice As Bright...