LORD OF THE LOST Starting Off 2026 Strong As Hell
Remember when Germany sent a goth metal band to Eurovision and everyone lost their minds? Yeah, Lord of the Lost are still riding that wave of chaos, and honestly, they’re not stopping anytime soon. The Hamburg-based six-piece just announced the final chapter of their ambitious OPVS NOIR trilogy, and it’s coming at you with a veritable who’s-who of guest vocalists and enough dark theatricality to make Tim Burton jealous.
The Trilogy Concludes
OPVS NOIR Vol. 3 drops April 10, 2026, completing a trifecta that started with volumes 1 and 2 in 2025. If you’ve been following along, you know these guys don’t do anything half-assed – Lord of the Lost went from representing Germany at Eurovision 2023 (where “Blood & Glitter” finished dead last but still hit #1 on the German charts because fuck logic, right?) to supporting Iron Maiden on tour almost immediately afterward.
RELATED: EYE OF MELIAN’s New Single ‘Symphonia Arcana’ Is the Fantasy Metal Your Ears Deserve
“I Hate People” – Because We All Do Sometimes
The first single from Vol. 3 is “I Hate People,” featuring none other than horror punk royalty Wednesday 13. For the uninitiated, Wednesday 13 (born Joseph Poole, but seriously, don’t call him that) is the Duke of Spook himself – the guy who fronted Murderdolls with the late Joey Jordison, ran Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 through the late ’90s and early 2000s, and has been terrorizing stages with his solo project since 2004. His latest album, Mid Death Crisis, just dropped in 2025, and he’s currently on a 20-year anniversary tour celebrating Transylvania 90210.
The pairing makes perfect sense: Lord of the Lost frontman Chris Harms and Wednesday 13 delivering a stomping industrial metal duet about equality. Because nothing says “we’re all the same” quite like two dudes in corpse paint and more eyeliner than a Sephora. The track channels that tongue-in-cheek horror aesthetic both acts are known for – it’s heavy, it’s theatrical, and it’s probably going to piss off all the right people.
A Guest List That Reads Like a Metal Festival Lineup
But Wednesday 13 isn’t the only one joining the party. Vol. 3 is stacked with collaborations:
- Saltatio Mortis (German medieval metal torchbearers) lend their frontman Alea for “I’m A Diamond”
- Kissin’ Dynamite’s departing frontman Hannes Braun shows up for the Baudelaire-inspired “La Vie Est Hell” (yes, partly in French, because of course)
- Xandria’s Ambre Vourvahis adds whimsical vocals to heartbreaker “When Did The Love Break?”
- Cats In Space – wait, a British glam rock band? – contribute Damien Edwards for “Take Me Far Away”
The tracklist reads like Lord of the Lost challenged themselves to genre-hop while staying true to their gothic industrial roots. You’ve got cello-driven overtures (“Kill The Lights”), tongue-in-cheek funeral anthems (wear pink to their funeral, apparently), symphonic arrangements, and bombastic French poetry adaptations. The closing track, “The Days Of Our Lives,” reportedly comes closer to a cinematic soundtrack than anything they’ve done before.
What Makes OPVS NOIR Vol. 3 Stand Out
If Blood & Glitter was their big swing for mainstream Eurovision recognition, the OPVS NOIR trilogy feels like Lord of the Lost saying “okay, now we’re gonna do whatever the hell we want.” The press materials describe Vol. 3 as “the most out of the box” of the three volumes, which is saying something when you’re talking about a band whose entire aesthetic involves heavy guitars, dark electronica, compassionate messages, and cinematic orchestrals all mashed together.
Chris Harms and company have never been ones to settle into a comfortable lane. Lord of the Lost always walked that line between accessibility and underground credibility – one minute they’re crafting earworm choruses for European audiences, the next they’re diving headfirst into near-gothic soundscapes with industrial stomp. The fact that they can pull it off without sounding like a complete mess is testament to either excellent production or some kind of dark ritual. Possibly both.
Down Under in February
Before the album drops, Lord of the Lost are hitting Australia for a quick four-date run in February 2026:
- February 19: Brisbane (Crowbar)
- February 20: Melbourne (Max Watts)
- February 21: Sydney (Crowbar)
- February 22: Adelaide (Lion Arts)
For Australian fans who’ve been following them since the Eurovision days (or earlier), this is a solid chance to catch them in smaller venues before they inevitably blow up even more. Tickets are available through hardlinemedia.net.
The Bottom Line
OPVS NOIR Vol. 3 represents Lord of the Lost at their most ambitious and least predictable. After Eurovision thrust them into an uncomfortable spotlight (finishing last but topping charts has to create some weird cognitive dissonance), they’ve doubled down on genre experimentation and collaborations with artists across the metal and rock spectrum.
The album arrives April 10 in multiple editions, including some strictly limited collectibles for those of you who still believe physical media matters (it does). Whether you’re here for the industrial duets, the French Baudelaire references, or just want to hear what happens when Hamburg goth metal meets horror punk royalty, this final volume promises to deliver.
And let’s be real – any band that promotes black as a happy color and tells you to wear pink to their funeral deserves at least a curious listen. The OPVS NOIR trilogy is finally concluded, and if nothing else, Lord of the Lost have proven they’re never going back to “Square One.”
Listen to “I Hate People” featuring Wednesday
Pre-order OPVS NOIR Vol. 3
