[1] Lostprophets released five studio albums: The Fake Sound of Progress (2000), Start Something (2004), Liberation Transmission (2006), The Betrayed (2010), and Weapons (2012).

[2][3] In June 2014, the remaining members joined American singer Geoff Rickly to form a new band, No Devotion.

Lostprophets was formed by Ian Watkins and Lee Gaze in 1997 in Pontypridd, Wales,[4] after their previous band Fleshbind disbanded.

The band recorded three demos during this time: Here comes the Party, Para Todas las Putas Celosas, which translates from Spanish as "For all the jealous whores", and The Fake Sound of Progress.

Another reference is the use of the VF-1 Valkyrie in Battroid mode from the 1982 anime The Super Dimension Fortress Macross as part of the album illustration.

[5] During this period, Lostprophets built up a strong live following with support slots to popular acts such as Pitchshifter, Linkin Park and Deftones, as well as several headlining stints of their own.

[14][15] After the extensive touring cycle for The Fake Sound of Progress finally ended, the band took a brief break before beginning the process of writing new material for Start Something at Frontline Studios in Caerphilly, Wales.

[16] They then entered Los Angeles's Barefoot Studio for a recording process that lasted from March until September 2003, with producer Eric Valentine.

The band rescheduled the cancelled UK shows, with the exception of their scheduled appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, stating in magazine interviews that honouring those commitments would have meant leaving the recording studio while the album was only half completed.

[20] The song further gained much popularity in the United States through radio airplay and the music video saw regular rotation on MTV, generating much anticipation for the album in America.

[24] To promote the album, they toured North America, Europe and as part of the Big Day Out festival in Australia and New Zealand.

Since then, he joined another band called The Unsung, and played with Accident Music until their split in 2011, which also featured Chris Morgan of Midasuno and former Funeral for a Friend guitarist Darran Smith.

[42] Originally, Ian Watkins stated he wanted the new album to be "nastier" and "darker" than previous efforts, with more energy and vibe than before.

In a blog post, guitarist Mike Lewis suggested that Ilan Rubin (who subsequently left the band to join Nine Inch Nails[43]) was very much a large part of the writing/recording process.

The band commenced their UK tour with support from Kids in Glass Houses, Hexes, We are the Ocean, and Sharks, in February 2010.

The Port Talbot date of the tour was postponed and moved to a different venue due to a fire at the Afan Lido leisure centre.

[56] The band released a teaser track in anticipation of their new album entitled "Better Off Dead" in January 2012, though it was confirmed the song is not an official single.

The band's first official single of the album, "Bring 'em Down", was released on 6 February 2012, after debuting on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show.

[58] This show turned out to be a complete disaster for the band; Stuart Richardson commented in 2019 that Watkins "didn't move for the whole set" and that he "sung the wrong words".

When the band had previously debuted "Bring 'em down" on Zane Lowe's show in February, Watkins stated that the fourth single was to be a "power ballad".

On 19 December 2012, Watkins was charged with thirteen sexual offences against children, including the attempted rape of a one-year-old girl.

The other band members posted a message on their website stating that they were "learning about the details of the investigation along with you" and concluding: "It is a difficult time for us and our families, and we want to thank our fans for their support as we seek answers.

[64] On 30 November, the members released a lengthy statement in response to Watkins pleading guilty to attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13,[65] stating that they were "heartbroken, angry, and disgusted".

They stated that they had been unaware of his crimes, and that though working with him had become "a constant, miserable challenge", they had "never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted".

[67] Immediately after Watkins was sentenced, the BBC banned the entire Lostprophets back catalogue from being played on their stations.

[70] In November 2016, it was reported that Watkins's Twitter account had become active again, new clips of music had surfaced via two SoundCloud accounts ("L'Amour La Morgue" and "Megalelz"), which were reportedly attributed to him, and that Lostprophets' website had been changed to a single page that described them as "The Straight Edge British Metal Band".

[88] Their music is termed an aggressive style of rock, blending strong driving guitars, groove and bounce, and pop elements and accessibility.

[76][81] Their music has been praised as powerful, combining softer melodies with an aggressive edge,[81] with screamed vocals and catchy riffs,[91] while some have also stated it has a derivative, formulaic or forgettable nature.

[74][76][81] Watkins's lyrics range from sombre to aggressive, and have been described as often conveying a feeling of disillusionment with topics such as relationships or social groups, albeit frequently delivered in a rousing manner even when this is the case.

[89] Critics have compared his singing style to Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton,[74][81][92][93] with Watkins citing this band as his biggest influence in 2004.