Lost Themes III: Alive After Death

Carpenter’s bandmates mostly help him resurrect an old sound instead of crafting a newer, fresher one, yielding distinctly diminished returns.

Arriving at a time when so many artists are inspired by his music, Lost Themes III: Alive After Death proves Carpenter is still one of a kind.

Carpenter, Cody and Davies have united to form an extremely tight, polished and powerful piece of thematic music with the third volume of Lost Themes. With much less to focus on then a full-length feature Carpenter really elevates and draws the most out of the fewer ingredients he works with and in doing so, truly distils the essence of his craft.

With titles like ‘Carpathian Darkness’ and ‘Weeping Ghost,’ this latest set is a must-listen for both fans of ‘The Fog’ and those who love their instrumental music dripping with malice and danger.

The only thing the trio still hasn’t mastered is ending its tunes, which they often cut short like film cues. ... If his intent with the Lost Themes albums was to assert his authority over the copycats who’ve crossed his path in recent years, he has succeeded.

This Lost Themes run is the best legacy sequel in this exhaustive era of legacy sequels, and if we’re lucky, the credits will never roll.

While this third entry could be classified as largely more of the same, there's enough freshness here to warrant a closer look, especially if you're already a fan of the project.

He's never met a supernatural entity he can't pair with thumping darktronica and stalking rock guitar - weeping Ghost, Vampire's Touch, Skeleton - but it's done with a fabulously cold touch. [Mar 2021, p.89]

Conjures worlds of chilly, pulsing synths and waspish guitar. [Mar 2021, p.27]

Alive After Death is a record interesting enough to satisfy those with a taste for the transgressively predictable, as long as you don’t scrutinise it too much.