*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Maine!
From Bangor, Maine comes the unsigned, MTV Artist, Hard Rock/Metal outfit Not Yet Lost. Originally named The Secret of Esrever (reverse, spelled backwards) which had two studio releases: “The Bleeding Skies” – four song EP (2013) with songs: “Reverse”, “Nothing More“, “Kidney Punch (Not Today)”, “The Question Within” and “Cryptozoic” – eleven song LP (2014) containing: “Kidney Punch (Not Today)”, “Novocaine”, “Nothing More”, “Found Wanting”, “The Fall”, “Wicked”, “Placebo”, “Reverse”, “One of Your Kind”, “The Question Within” and “:01”. Members included Christopher Carroll on guitar and backup vocals, Kyle Campbell on vocals and guitar, Randy Hamm on drums and Josh Sabine on bass. Shortly after the release of “Cryptozoic”, Hamm was replaced by Nate Dorman on drums while, at the same time, changing the band name to Not Yet Lost in an effort to make themselves more marketable with an easier name to pronounce. In May of 2016, Not Yet Lost released their self-titled EP (see full stream below) with songs: “Ghost Cow”, “Rise”, “Fade Away”, “Babies with Pitchforks”, “Just Like You”, “Safeword” and replacing founding member Josh Sabine by Ryan Schoppee on bass guitar.
Christopher Carroll
Kyle Campbell
Nate Dorman
Ryan Schoppee
Musical influences for Not Yet Lost range from Tool, Alice in Chains, Faith No More and Chevelle but refuse to play to any certain classification or genre; choosing instead to play whatever they like; letting their artistic creativity take them where it might (most outlets apparently classify them as Alternative Metal). No two songs are the same but remain universally identifiable as Not Yet Lost material. The full vocals of Kyle Campbell are gravelly clean, expressive and distinctive. The guitar style and sound of Chis Carroll has a heavy, Classic Rock vibe, very infrequently crossing into the Modern Medal sharpness and oppression. This is much of what gives Not Yet Lost such a distinctive sound. As an aside, Chris is also a fourteen year, active duty veteran that has undergone over eleven surgeries before being medically retired with permanent nerve damage, leaving him without feeling over almost half of his body. After a two year hiatus from music, Chris picked up the guitar again as a form of physical therapy suggested by his physical therapist. Here he sits today, playing with Not Yet Lost. Adding to this well rounded band is the up-front bass playing, much being slapped and/or played chord-melody. I cannot recall a band that has used bass in this manner before, but Not Yet Lost definitely makes it work with brilliance and style. Rounding out the sound is the very traditional drumming of Nate Dorman. Nothing over the top, but extremely accurate, tight and fitting for a band heading in their own direction. Not Yet Lost is all about brilliant songwriting and emotional connection through music instead of being strictly a showcase of instrumental virtuosity or trying to be the fastest, heaviest, most brutal or whatever band around. Very, very cool and very, very effective and very, very moving material.
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