German metal band Lord of the Lost has confirmed that long-standing members Klaas and Pi have both left the band. Pi Stoffers has been with the band for 10 years and has stepped down to open himself up to new opportunities.
Klaas played bass for LOTL for 17 years and is no longer touring with the band; however, he may be part of future album productions. Both members have agreed on their replacements, which will be announced at a later date.
The Split is Amicable from Klaas and Pi
Both Klaas and Pi intend to remain as part of the LOTL family.
Stoffers has released a statement stating that his decision comes down to purely the need for a change. The artist is looking forward to exploring new music while taking a different musical direction.
The band took to the stage to represent Germany at Eurovision 2023, performing the song Blood & Glitter. Although the band received a huge amount of support from fans, they unfortunately struggled to get votes from the panel.
The album, Blood & Glitter, was a very different direction for the band, as they explored synth beats and a retro theme that paid homage to earlier musical eras.
Chris Harms has also taken inspiration from this theme in his own solo project, with the release of his album 1980. The vocalist for the band stepped away from his industrial metal roots to explore synth-pop that takes inspiration from one of the most influential decades in music.
Chris Harms and His Solo Project
1980 is driven by electronic drums and synths. Tracks include Madonna of the Night and Missed Call. The album was produced and recorded alongside Corvin Bahn, with Benjamin Lawrenz handling both the mixing and mastering.
Chris Harms didn’t revisit the iconic decade in isolation either. Interest in the 1980s has surged as of late. Studios are revisiting classic franchises too. An example is RoboCop, which is being adapted into a television show by Amazon MGM Studios. Stephen King’s Cujo is being remade by Netflix.
In other entertainment verticals, thousands of fans attend Rewind Festival, which happens every year in the UK, and is a homage to the 80s.
Online entertainment has embraced the retro aesthetic. People who play bingo UK games online will notice titles like Disco Diva, which celebrates the disco balls and neon aesthetics that defined the era. As bingo was huge in the 80s, it makes perfect sense for the theme to throw back to the disco halls and style that dominated the era.
Chris Harms chooses to channel all of this in his solo album, while showing his passion for that era, a lot of which inspired his work with Lord of the Lost.
Whether LOTL is going on a short break or whether Harms is taking time to work on a second solo album is unclear, but we can expect to see more of Stoffers as he embarks on more musical projects. Klaas is also open to musical collaborations; however, he isn’t willing to commit to a touring band as of right now.
