Slapping the ‘volume one’ moniker onto a project is quite the gamble— it’s a promise that the album will not only meet your expectations, but leave you yearning for another instalment. Lord Of The Lost are obviously confident in their new material and it’s not difficult to see why: somehow, the German group have managed to convert their explosive Eurovision performance into international success (with a support slot for Iron Maiden, no less). If the title of ‘OPVS NOIR Vol. 1’ is indeed a gamble, Chris Harms and company are holding the royal flush— this latest work may just be their boldest to date.

Lord Of The Lost have always been a highly theatrical band, but it’s their 2025 project that finally sees them approaching Disney villain soundtrack territory. Attempts have clearly been made to go bigger than ever, with the group’s symphonic leanings taking centre stage for great swathes of the album’s runtime: just look at opener ‘Bazaar Bizarre,’ which accents its booming drums and groaning guitars with blasts of choir-fuelled fury. Musical excess, whether it takes the form of eery violins or flamboyant piano runs, becomes a key cornerstone of these eleven tracks— if the group’s collaborative efforts with Within Temptation hadn’t clued you in, this is probably their most ambitious work so far. Of course, with so many layers colliding on cuts like ‘Moonstruck’ and ‘The Things We Do For Love,’ Lord Of The Lost are undertaking a delicate balancing act: often, it’s one that robs these tracks of that distinctive industrial metal impact, with the guitars regularly taking a backseat in the mix. ‘OPVS NOIR Vol. 1’ has a grandeur that’s more observed than really felt— whether it’s an issue the band will address or ignore across the planned trilogy remains to be seen.

Similarly ambitious are the band’s various collaborations, which make up a sizeable chunk of the new release. Simply put, the range of voices contributing to ‘OPVS NOIR Vol. 1’ serve the album greatly, even if none of the guests get too much of a chance to stretch their legs. Single ‘Light Can Only Shine In The Darkness’— despite the blatant mistruth in its title— is as solid of a power ballad as they come, marrying Lord Of The Lost’s newfound menace with the soaring vocals of Sharon den Adel: ‘Lords Of Fyre’ is equally enthralling, with German power metal collective Feuerschwanz managing to inject their own brand of levity into the project. Truth be told, none of these guests truly transform their respective tracks or leave a lasting impact on the record— we’re quite certain that, had the likes of Deathstars or Tales of Time not made the cut, ‘OPVS NOIR Vol. 1’ would remain almost exactly intact. What they do accomplish, though, is the occasional break in the theatrical darkness that threatened to choke the record, making this newest release the most consistent in Lord Of The Lost’s catalogue.

Aside from that larger-than-life presentation, the new record is hardly some grand excursion for Harms and company: rather, it’s the confident and wickedly enjoyable collection of tunes that fans have come to expect. ‘I Will Die In It’ may repeat its title a few too many times, but the track’s romantic sentiments and mid-tempo riffs are sure to become a concert staple for the group. For our money though, we’ll have the devilish industrial crashes of ‘Damage,’ which takes the aggressive riffs of Rammstein and places them under dazzling stage lights. Lord Of The Lost do a remarkable job keeping the listener engaged right until the final notes of wistful ballad ‘Dreams Are Never Alone’, consistently bringing new and intriguing ideas into the fold. Choices like the stilted violin that leads the charge on ‘Ghosts’ are always welcome, placing the German six-piece, and this new record, far ahead of the competition.

Even despite our complaints with the record’s production, ‘OPVS NOIR Vol. 1’ remains a thoroughly intoxicating listen for its writing alone. The album houses no black sheep— if anything, the weakest tracks here are merely somewhat unmemorable. ‘My Sanctuary’ feels content to sit on a single vocal melody for its entire runtime, with the various instrumental flourishes and key changes the band throw in doing little to distract from the track’s oddly barebones core: elsewhere, ‘The Sadness In Everything’ works in isolation, but doesn't tread much new ground (especially lyrically, where ‘OPVS NOIR Vol. 1’ does very little to reinvent the wheel). This latest record from Lord Of The Lost is remarkably consistent, and it’s wonderful to see the group sounding so self-assured at the height of their success: Harms’ vocals, both clean and harsh, exhibit more character than ever here, guiding the listener into this tangled web of darkness and mystery.

‘OPVS NOIR Vol. 1’ may be taking quite a risk in adopting such a title, but not without reason— Lord Of The Lost have nailed down their definitive sound here, with the record’s various kinks standing to be ironed out across the rest of the coming trilogy. The band haven’t been quite so adventurous on the musical or lyrical sides of things, but have instead drilled down into the core of what makes them such an exciting force in the modern metal landscape: if the group’s coming releases can stand toe-to-toe with this one, Harms and company will undoubtedly be ones to watch moving forward.