The winds are blowing for lostprophets guitarist Mike Lewis.
Actually they were blowing against him, as the 20-something Welshman's voice was often obscured by the rushing winds outside the Houston venue the band prepared to play last Wednesday.
The band's current tour, an MTV2-sponsored jaunt that includes Apex Theory and Pressure 4-5 - who join the tour at the Albuquerque date, scheduled Tuesday at The Launchpad - has been going well for the band. Which surprises Davis a bit since the band hasn't done a whole lot of touring in the United States yet.
"The tour is going a lot better than what we expected," Davis said between blasts of wind. "We're not from this country, so we find it really cool when we have people showing up to our shows and buying our records. We've had people come from 5,000 miles away to shows."
The wind-blowing metaphor works pretty well for lostprophets, which started in 1995 with Davis and vocalist Ian Watkins in their hometown of Pontyprydd, Wales - about 12 miles from Cardiff, the birthplace of Tom Jones. The six-man group has been shoehorned into the "nÅ-metal" category, but could easily blow away the standard nÅ-metal band approach.
Unlike a lot of nÅ-metal vocalists, Watkins actually sings. And the band throws some tasty melodies over his lead vocals. Also, Lewis and guitarist Lee Gaze manage to fit in chiming guitars over the expected slabs of distortion to make for a sound that's fresh in the face of the dozen or so Godsmack and Disturbed knockoffs you hear on the radio these days.
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Despite being an antidote to nÅ-metal mediocrity, Davis said the group doesn't buy being included in the nÅ-metal genre.
"I think the label is convenient," he said. "It's just lazy to lump is in with nÅ-metal. We do sound different than a lot of bands. A lot of the bands that are called nÅ-metal are at opposite ends of the spectrum, ya know wha' I mean? The whole term is lazy, especially for us because we draw from so many different influences."
The group's latest CD, The Fake Sound of Progress, shows that Davis isn't just spin-doctoring. The 11-song disc illustrates that the band is the product of musicians who were as influenced by '80s new wave as they were by thrash metal and Japanese animÇ.
Songs like the single "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" show the band's deft ability to match melody with aggressive guitars and well-placed sample, as well as avoid the negativity on which many nÅ-metal bands have based their careers.
"We're just into positivity," Davis said. "The vibe on the CD is about having a good time and believing in yourself. It's just a positive record, not full of angst. Hopefully, people will listen to our record and feel motivated and positive."
