Discovery of the Week: Lost Society
How the wild Finnish thrashers Lost Society outgrew their genre and conquered the global scene
Lost Society is a metal band formed by guitarist and vocalist Samy Elbanna in 2010. He was soon joined by drummer Ossi Paananen, guitarist Arttu Lesonen, and bassist Mirko Lehtinen. At the beginning of their career, Lost Society performed thrash metal, but they later shifted their direction toward groove metal and metalcore. The newly formed team's first major step was participating in the Global Battle of the Bands, a worldwide music competition.

Lost Society won the Finnish qualifying round of this contest and earned the right to perform in the finals held in London. During this same period, they signed their first contract with Nuclear Blast, a major German record label. Under its auspices, Lost Society released their debut album, Fast Loud Death, which was positively received by Finnish music critics and brought the young band a nomination for the Emma Award.

Speaking to Kaaoszine, Samy Elbanna recalled that when they arrived there, he wondered what they were even doing there, as the place was full of representatives from a completely different genre unlike their own. He added that the nomination was a big victory both for thrash metal and for the band itself.

This became a huge leap forward for the aspiring musicians. Lost Society caught the public's attention and even performed as the opening act for the famous Children of Bodom during their autumn tour across Finland.

In April 2014, Lost Society released their second studio album, Terror Hungry, which leaned into a groove metal sound. Nico Laurenne, the founder of Sonic Pump Studios who is well-known for his work with Amorphis, Lordi, and Ensiferum, contributed to its creation. The media responded warmly to the album, and it once again received positive reviews from critics.

Speaking to Kaaoszine, Samy Elbanna stated that he would say the biggest difference between the two albums was probably that they had all significantly developed the sound of their own instruments, and the songs had become more complex. He added that he thought the new album was a bit more brutal and that all the instruments sounded better together than before. Elbanna noted that while there were differences from their previous album Terror Hungry, they were still recognizable.

That same year, the band performed at the “Aria-Fest” in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and at the end of 2015, they played at the Hartwall Arena as the opening act for Slayer and Anthrax.

In February 2016, the band's third album, titled Braindead, was released, helping the band reach number three on the Finnish national chart. The recording of the album began in the autumn of 2015 at Sonic Pump Studios. Compared to its predecessors, the track lengths were increased, but the total number of songs was reduced. The publication Soundi described this album as musically more diverse, adult, and mature.

By that spring, the band went on a European tour with the American band Exodus, and in 2017, they toured the United States with Children of Bodom.
Lost Society released their fourth album in 2020, meaning the gap between the two full-length releases stretched to four years this time. No Absolution became the final album to feature Ossi Paananen on drums; the drummer left Lost Society that same year and was replaced by Tapani Fagerström, who had previously played in Santa Cruz.

The band Apocalyptica participated in the recording of the song “Into Eternity,” which was included in the No Absolution album.

Speaking to Inferno magazine, Samy Elbanna admitted that the early demo version of “Into Eternity” had not actually triggered much of a reaction from him, but he still decided to send the rough track to Joonas Parkkonen to get his opinion. Parkkonen immediately told him that it was going to be very cool. Elbanna noted that after many refinements and changes, they invited Apocalyptica, and the result turned out to be incredible. He added that if he were to die the next day, he would leave with a smile on his face, knowing that they had left the world at least one damn great piece of music.

The sound of the album No Absolution differed from previous releases, and this did not go unnoticed by fans and music critics. To some extent, Lost Society began discovering new horizons thanks to their work with Joonas Parkkonen, a music producer who, just like the band's new drummer, originally came from the band Santa Cruz.

Elbanna further explained that he had never understood why a band should sound the same on every record. He stated that Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast was his definition of a perfect album, citing the loudness of “Invaders” and “Gangland,” the catchiness of “Run to the Hills” and the title track, the epic nature of “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” and the slowness of “Children of the Damned,” along with everything in between. He noted that even as a young boy, he had grown up with the idea that a rock band could record practically anything they wanted on a single record, let alone over an entire career.

The band's currently final album, If the Sky Came Down, was released in 2022. It reached number two on the Finnish national album chart and brought the band a nomination in the Best Metal Album category at the Emma Gaala.

Reflecting on the record, Elbanna shared that very difficult and painful things stood behind this album. He emphasized that its creation, recording, and gradual release had essentially saved his life, which he described as a damn beautiful thing.

During the creation of If the Sky Came Down, the band once again headed toward a new sound.

Elbanna told Inferno that, of course, when someone wanted to bring certain influences into their music, they had to think about whether those elements would fit into it. He stated that the new album featured a lot of electronic influences that had always been in his mind, but added that if he had tried to bring them onto the second album, it would have been a pile of artificial crap.
  • Tuuli Talvinen
    Founder & Editor-in-Chief
    Interviewer