Lost

Unlike the first two albums, Lost maintains a more focused approach to songwriting, as it hardly strays from their determined speed metal aesthetic with touches of symphonic keyboards, face-ripping guitar attacks, and stratospheric vocals. Hovinga continues to sing in his typical John Arch-inspired screams, except for the album's ballad of course. Though he doesn't quite get to the excellence of Arch, he fills the choruses of tunes like the title track, "Everything", and "Crossed the Line" with gripping melodies. His harmonies have more staying power this time around, and he also plays some guitar on "Under Gods Naked Eye", the ballad of the album. Guitarist and main songwriter Henk van der Laars' playing shows immense growth -- on this album he converges his influences more smoothly. Traces of Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, and John Petrucci are less readily audible, as he has developed his own voice. On the short instrumental track, "1998", he plays over a nice keyboard melody with great tone. His partner, Gilbert Pot, provides a welcome counterpoint to his smooth, melodic signature sound as he lays down the necessary riffs and rhythms to the music. The syncopated guitar fury alongside the heavy-duty bass lines on "Spirits" contributes to the diversity of the album. Actually all of the songs are replete with his speedy guitar licks and intense riffing, but there is always space left for the keys and van der Laars to instill a melodic subtlety. The keyboards are very gentle in the mix, but they subtly enhance the songs without detracting from the metallic quality. They creep through the songs achieving deeper atmospheres and dramatic passages. On the following Parry-era albums, they would be worked into their songcraft more effectively, however. The remastered version contains two bonus tracks: demos of "I'm No Fool" and "Labyrinth of Dreams", both recorded in 1990. Lost is arguably the best album from the Hovinga period with the best production and most focused songwriting.