Lost Division – Cuts And Scars

Lost Division
Cuts And Scars
Inverse Records
May 26, 2021
41:16

I always think it’s unfortunate. There labels send promo downloads. But the information about the band is sparse. Such was the case with Lost Division, who released their debut album “Cuts And Scars” in May. I luckily found the band’s lineup on YouTube, in the words to their videos. The band was formed in 2015 in Oulu, in the North of Finland. The first single was released in 2018. After that there was a change at the mic, so obviously the count started all over again. The current album was recorded and produced last year in several studios. You can listen to the result now.

Yes. Fine hard rock. This is already shown in “In Memoriam 2.0”. Rhythmic riffs and drum work. Strong guitar solo. And singer Maija Väisänen can definitely hold her own against the pressure spread by the instrumental section. With that the quintet sets the marching direction. Also the next songs are riff-heavy. But the pressure-filled approach unfortunately also ensures that the vocals are pushed against the wall every now and then. Here, a little more balance in the mixing would be desirable. However, songs like “Trapped” or “Stay” provide a lot of listening fun. With “I’d Rather Die” Lost Division first put on a slower gear. Clean guitars accompany the partly somewhat deeper vocals. Not a real ballad, but a nice Midtempo Rocker. For me one of the highlights. With “No God” the roaring guitars dig into the auditory canals. But with the time you believe to have heard some things already. Because most of the songs are written in the same way. The songs are certainly all worth listening to, but they are too similar in terms of rhythm, tempo and melody. There simply remains too little in the memory of the listener.

With “Cuts And Stars” Lost Division present a solid debut. Musically, the individual songs are well done. But in the future, however, the Finns should put more emphasis on a varied songwriting. Then there could be something great coming up. They certainly have the potential for it. Also, a less cheesy album cover should be chosen in the future.

Lost Division – The Queen (Official Music Video): https://youtu.be/d9iqYr6cdxQ

Lineup:

Maija Väisänen – Vocals
Antti Ovaska – Rhythm Guitar
Jaakko Korpi – Lead Guitar
Mikael Luukela – Bass
Juha-Matti Sipola – Drums

Track list:

• In Memoriam 2.0
• Trapped
• Stay
• I’d Rather Die
• No God
• The Queen
• The Killer
• Lovely Day
• Insanity
• Mayhem