Lords of Ruin-Life Is A War

1605 Records/ Sullen Musik
2013

If you're a little "older and greyer" like me then odds are pretty good that when you think about it the music of Orange County, California it's punk and hardcore that springs to mind. The O.C. scene was once nothing short of amazing. Is it still that way? I do have to wonder. Or at least when it comes to punk and hardcore. On the other end of the spectrum though everything seems to be in order. From the way O.C.'s Lords of Ruin go about things it sure sounds as if the the heavy rock/hard driving (and even harder living) metal scene is doing just fine. Still, chances are that you may not have heard of Life of Ruin prior to today and I for one wouldn't fault you for that. This California band, whose mission statement and main focus in life is "to bring back honest, powerful & heavy hard hitting rock & roll", didn't appear on my radar either prior to clicking on the link for "Life Is A War" but now I can't help but feel as if I've been missing out! Formed back in the summer of 2010, and with their first show ever seeing them open for Korn (!), the band is currently made up of  lead vocalist Lauren Boquette (Drown, Famous & SiX), lead guitarist Jimmy Craig, rhythm guitarist Travis Dunn, bassist Chico Tovar and drummer Lagarto "Paco" Marley. The three original founding members of the group are Lauren Boquette, Jimmy Craig and Travis Dunn while Chico Tovar and Lagarto "Paco" Marley replaced Eric Dilday & Corey Bush (who both performed on the aptly-titled "Life Is A War"). This 5-track release sees the band channel their various influences such as Pantera, (Black-era) Metallica, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Motörhead, Guns N' Roses, Black Sabbath (among countless others) into a fresh sounding beast of a EP! This isn't the first release from Lords of Ruin as that distinction belongs to the group's 2010 self-titled LP. That release, as well as a 2011 EP called "Beehive" and a exclusive new single entitled "Ghost of Finneran" (which you can find on iTunes), helps make up the back-story for this band. The only think is, as the hard-hitting and gritty  "Life Is A War" proves, Lords of Ruin is all about moving forward while doing it loud and doing it right! You can find this EP on iTunes and be sure to head over to the band's website for more information about not only the EP, but their other recordings, etc.


http://www.lordsofruin.com/home.html