Metal Debate Album Review - Chasing Euphoria (Lutharo)

The Great Metal Debate Podcast

Welcome to Metal Debate podcast. In March 2024 Canadian metal clan Lutharo returns with their sophomore full-length album “Chasing Euphoria.” Lutharo kick things off with “Reaper’s Call,” an agreeable track that keeps it pretty close-to-the-vest musically. Lutharo are excellent at creating an aesthetic of anger and aggression but also positivity and hope. This one sets a high bar for my expectations for the rest of the album. The next track is “Ruthless Bloodline,” a song front loaded with extreme and fast paced riff-craft and screams, but also with a choral melody that is incredibly catchy. I love the aggression displayed by vocalist Krista Shipperbottom. It’s a killer track and one that was a true headbanger when I saw them play live last year. “Time To Rise” is one of my favorite songs from the album and a true gem. Here Shipperbottom flips her standard gameplan with soft, melodic versing transitioning into a harsher – yet still pleasingly melodic – chorus. This one just flows wonderfully with each musical element fitting snuggly alongside the other. Next is “Born To Ride.” This is such a fun track, and one which has also been released as a tongue-in-cheek concept video. Musically, this is another uptempo melodic winner with great riffs, solid singing, and some 80s metal feels. Things go in a more classic heavy/thrash direction instrumentally on “Bonded To The Blade.” I’m not sure the vocal mix on the pre-break bridge exactly worked, but I do appreciate they did something different there and made the effort. Toward the end of the track I enjoyed the whispered lyrics and symphonic elements which further differentiated this one. More great melody and plenty of aggression on the chorus. #6 in the listing is the title track “Chasing Euphoria.” I like the overall song structure and especially the tasteful solo from Bucur makes it worth the cost of admission. Somewhat different than any other song they’ve released before, again representing that the band are continuing to evolve and push the boundaries of their sound. “Creating A King” sounds a bit like contemporary Flotsam And Jetsam to my ears in how it melds the thrash and power metal feel. It’s another example of some outstanding song construction by this band taking the listener through a number of tempos and colorations while still successfully maintaining tight song cohesion. The next song, “Strong Enough To Fall,” does a fine job delivering a divine guitar melody and one of Shipperbottom’s best vocal expressions on the album. The guitar, bass and drum work together at a groovy pace crafting a captivating energy. Super catchy and upbeat; there’s nothing not to like here. The tenth track “Paradise or Parasite” gives us another excellent lead break augmented by a helping of superb orchestral backing that really solidifies the overall sound. I love what Shippenbottom does toward the end giving kind of a falsetto prior to her more agonized screaming. The song’s orchestral outro is glorious! “Chasing Euphoria” closes out the tracklisting with “Freedom Of The Night” which starts softly and then evinces a grand feel. Coming in at 7 minutes it’s the longest song on the album. There’s plenty of time changes throughout and some gentle parts here and there, though still more than enough of aggression. There’s also more orchestral flourishes. Not a bad track, but not one of my favs. I’m giving this album a rating of 9 ½ out of ten. "Chasing Euphoria" is released March 15th through Atomic Fire Records. Preorder it now – it’ll put a smile on your face and then will proceed to rip your face off!