Lost Prophets - Rooftops Single Review

Lost Prophets
Rooftops
Album Review

You know when a friend goes on holiday and comes back 'a different person, because the whole experience has been SO life changing'? I feel like that sometimes with The Prophets.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2001 with their debut album and a heady mix of new wave Melodic driven Metal, they wowed up with blistering tracks such as "Shinobi Vs. Dragon Ninja" and "Five Is A Four Letter Word" before slipping quietly off exit stage left until 2004. This time their second album "Start Something", sounded a little less raw and a touch over produced, but we forgave them as they delivered more chug wrenching classics like "Last Train Home", "Burn Burn" and "Last Summer" before again slipping out into the thick night air.

Returning in June of this year after more than 18 months in the wilderness, hailing a triumphant new album "Liberation Transmission", the Welsh rockers bestowed upon us "Rooftops (a liberation broadcast)" as the first single from it. I hope that this is not an indication of the rest of the album.

Basking in almost pop-like qualities it's just a track you cannot be sure of. 'Have they sold out? Is it on the cusp of cool or have they gone too far?' Jangling away with guitar, vocals and then drums in the intro, it's reminiscent of a BBC Sport montage song for all those sad moments of a World Cup played in slow motion before whimpering into the chorus. Overdriven guitar chords are hidden behind a wall of harmonies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Ian Watkins voice is one of the leading lights of the band, but referencing back to all the classics listed above, there was always more of a struggle as to who was in control.
A radio friendly chorus, with just enough umph to keep the hardest of hardcore Prophets fans happy, I have a feeling that we may just have heard a brief glimpse of the fake sound of progress.

6/10

Elliott Bambrough