Review

Relentless and unforgiving – A Life Once Lost falls into that stereo-typical sound that your parents and grandparents conjure up when the word “metal” is mentioned in connection with music. Adolescent headbangers will unite and rebel to Hunter’s slamming kit repetitions and vocals laid down by Robert Meadows that tear through both verses and vocal chords, while all other music fans will be left looking onward.

From the opening track, “Rehashed,” all the way through the finale, “With Pitiless Blows,” it’s hard to make the distinction from where one track ends and the next one begins on Hunter. Sure, metal in its basic form will still spawn recognition from fans of the genre, and A Life Once Lost does a great job of blowing through eleven tracks with an intensity you would expect, but casual fans won’t find much new here to capture their valuable interest past the third track, “Vulture.” Lyrically, ALOL find multiple creative outlets for conveying the same normal feelings in life such as pain, anguish, and regret that most other bands tackle; at least A Life Once Lost do it admittingly so on track three: "I need a miracle to conquer this endeavor | The imagery of song to portray the routine of life."

It’s become a commonly known (and still accepted) fact that A Life Once Lost follow the basic teeter-tottering songwriting formula of verse/chorus/repeat and don’t distinguish their guitar riffs much. Yet, somehow A Life Once Lost still capture the hearts and ears of fans time and time again. So, while Hunter sounds a lot like the band’s 2004 release, Open Your Mouth for the Speechless, and while “Pain & Panic” sounds exactly like “I Give In” and so on, fans wouldn’t have it – and probably don’t want it – any other way.

Review by Jason Schleweis

3 out of 5