Lords of Ruin are a blend of hard rock and alt-metal who release their latest extended play `Coda Revival` this month. Hailing from the North of England the quintet has shared that “This EP is our way of drawing a line under everything we’ve done up until now, while leaving indications of what’s to come. This is not the end, but it is the final piece of this chapter of Lords of Ruin and a culmination of what we’ve been working on since our inception.”
We are led into this release with `Decay` which has pounding drums, chugging guitar riffs and some captivating vocals enticing us to accompany the narrator on his journey or quest. There are some briefly growled vocals in the latter part which I must admit don`t always inspire me but I thought they complemented the track. The last thirty seconds or so the band really let rip as the number concludes. There was much to enjoy on the oddly titled `Bulldozer` which seemed to have a positive message possibly about a supernatural being looking after us shared over some really enticing guitar riffs and a dreamy solo later on.
`Universal` is a fairly introspective, thoughtful, and reflective composition which appears to be about this cosmos we inhabit and how we should maybe appreciate what it has given us and how we should possibly reconsider how we treat it. A kind of environmental come spiritual offering with some thoughts / lyrics that are rapped / spoken at times throughout. This four tracker closes out with `Broken Dreams` which the band have said is a story built up of frustrations and anger coming from years of anguish and disappointment. A reasonably fast paced piece with a powerful undertone and lyrics that do seem to display the frustrations, discontent, and dissatisfaction of how things have shaped up.
`Coda Revival` was for me a cracking introduction to Lords of Ruin and what they have to offer. I felt there was a bit of old school melodic hard rock about them with some delightful guitar hooks that had shades of bands such as Thin Lizzy, Stone Sour and Metallica and a vocalist who has a varied and powerful vocal range.
This EP draws a line in the sand for the band, and it will be really interesting to await what`s to come from this talented quintet.
Rating 8.5 / 10
