If Hope Dies – Life In Ruin
Author: Mark Thompson
In many cases when a scene begins to blossom into something larger than it could ever imagine possible in the past, it then becomes saturated with a bunch of coattail riders who have a desire to take advantage of a new found level of public awareness. Thank God there are bands like IF HOPE DIES who have been in the scene for a while and can turn out quality albums like their latest release on IRONCLAD/METAL BLADE entitled, Life In Ruin.
While many of the tracks show similar patterns mixing dynamically their metal (Euro and thrash) and hardcore roots, there is an underlying punky edge (as in the track The Ultimate Nullifier) to their sound that allows IF HOPE DIES to maintain their own identity and stand out from others in their genre. Being a fan of fine musicianship, one cannot turn their ears away from the precision riffing and leads that producer Jason Suecof was able to pull from Thad Jackson and Brian Ward as when these guys are matching riffs it’s a giant wall of sound. And for those fans of lyrics, the message is loud and clear in Some Skynyrd, “the longer we stand still the further away our dreams become” to have the track end with “the restless many now filled with anger are demanding for release from this static hell.”
Life In Ruin is an album that will definitely give IF HOPE DIES the shot they deserve at becoming one of the breakout bands from this genre given they can get on the proper tours for the best exposure possible to broaden their fanbase.
Rating: 8/10
Website: www.ifhopedies.com
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