Six young lads from the Welsh valleys, plucked from the relative obscurity of the punk-rock toilet circuit by a slavering horde of chequebook-waving Yankee label bosses, Lostprophets are something of a refreshing surprise in a nu-metal industry that now seems to churn out countless new acts scented with the anodyne box-freshness of manufactured pop. They do look great, sure - innocent heartthrob punkboys with we-fuckin'-mean-it-man straight-edge crosses daubed on their hands and hiphop slacks slung - cor! - a few tantalising inches below their boxers. But 'Shinobi Vs Dragon Ninja' sure rocks some, a super-melodic new-wave skitter creamed off with an absolutely immense hammer-it-home chorus. Package 'em right, and Lostprophets are going to be bloody huge.
Louis Pattison
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