For Those Lost


For Those Lost was formed from the remains of 2 local metal and hardcore bands in the Basingstoke area, south England, in 2002. As Fixated and Sound Of Frustration collapsed, Leigh, Gary and Neil from Fixated joined forces with Simon and then drummer Andy Gutteridge from SOF to form the initial line-up of For Those Lost. With all five members having been good friends since school days, the band was easy to get off the ground.

Having spent most of 2002 writing all new material, and playing a handful of shows in and around the local area, venturing to the south coast on a few occasions, the band went into 2003 with a fully positive attitude and began playing shows further afield and building a bigger fanbase.

In the summer of 2003, For Those Lost got its reward for its hard work when it was asked to support sikTh on the Portsmouth leg of the sikTh / Hopesfall UK tour. Following that show, the band secured more and more support slots with smaller signed bands and bigger unsigned bands – namely, Jor, Snub, Mahumodo, Fony, Landmine Spring, Shellshock among others.

In 2004 the band decided to record an ep / demo release for promo purposes only. A three-track cd was recorded at INFX studios in High Wycombe (where Neil was, and still is, currently studying for a degree). The cd enabled the band to reach a wider audience by encompassing the tracks on the internet as well.

With 2004 spent mostly playing shows and concentrating on promotion, 2005 has proved to be the band’s hardest year to date (including the times spent in separate bands). In June 2005, drummer Andy decided to quit the band. And out of nowhere too. With the remaining four members left disheartened and wondering whether to carry on, Simon, now a music teacher at the local college, recommended one of his students as a possible replacement.

Enter Oli Wiseman who, at just 17, is one of the best metal and hardcore drummers in the local area; if not, THE best. With the band’s morale suffering and a lack of positive energy, Oli’s enthusiasm, attitude and dedication to impressing FTL together with his raw talent which shone through, was enough to lift the spirits of the other four guys.

Oli learnt all of the band’s tracks in just two weeks with constant practice and constant rehearsal. It meant that For Those Lost was able to fulfill its scheduled studio time to record its debut album.

With the album now in the mixing stage (as of October 2005) and with independent label interest, and a growing fanbase, the future for For Those Lost looks a lot more positive again.

As a band, FTL has a strong moral and ethic that it doesn’t actively write music to fit into any category. It writes to fulfill its satisfaction. It doesn’t openly compare its music to anyone, instead leaving this to the critics! At this present stage in time, For Those Lost is seeking management or some form of representation to help it get into the London scene and exposed to the potential fanbase that it is confident of building.