It seems that if you don't 'get' rock or metal music in South Wales, then you're probably NOT from the area - the place has been teeming with varietals of guitar bands for some time now. The '90s brought you the Manics, Super Furry Animals and Stereophonics, whilst the new millennium ushered in a more intense brand of heavier non-indie rock from the likes of 'screamo' rock or pop (or both) bands like Funeral For A Friend, Kids in Glass Houses and these boys. A far cry from the days of just Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones (who are still hitting the right notes, generations later).

Calling Lostprophets 'emo', 'screamo' or any other 'mo' is churlish these days - judging by the band's latest downloadable giveaway, I'd wager that Ian Watkins has been listening to Living Colour, Faith no More and Foo Fighters during the past couple of years since their last album, 'The Betrayed'. Don't panic Lostprophets fans - they haven't turned into Limp Bizkit and they've still got an ear for a crunching riff. 'Better Off Dead' (which you can hear on the player in this article) is a belter and comes armed with a memorable hook, with a bit of spoken verse and chanted chorus.

After the success of their most recent UK dates, all of which sold out in quick time, the lads have announced their biggest tour since 2010 and, with the onslaught of a new album, should be a sell-out once again. The tour will kick off in Liverpool on 19th April, followed by Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and several more, including a homeland return to Cardiff on 28th April, until Brixton on 4th May.

We will have tickets available from 9am on Friday 27th January, with prices to be £22.50 for regionals and £25 for London. No support confirmed as yet, but hey, it's all about Lostprophets, right?

The new album 'Weapons', from which 'Better Off Dead' has been taken, will be released just prior to the tour on 2nd April - they're already taking pre-orders at Amazon.