Like a brick to the face, War Of Ages combines the shredding guitar solos of traditional metal and the unrelenting brutality of modern hardcore bands with an intense spiritual conviction. Sonically, War Of Ages will knock you down, grab your attention with their gripping grooves, annihilate you with their tireless enthusiasm, impress you with their technical ferocity, and most importantly, they will leave you wanting more.
Formed in 2003 by five friends who wanted to get together to play uber-heavy music with a message, the boys in War Of Ages burst out of the Erie, PA hardcore scene amongst likeminded bands like xDisciplex AD, Shockwave, and Brother’s Keeper and left their mark across the United States. Vocalist Leroy Hamp said, “Although Erie has been nicknamed ‘the dead city’, it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I love the city and the music scene here is incredibly strong and like a second family to me. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
War Of Ages released their first cd in July of 2005, which is self-titled and released on StrikeFirst Records (a subsidiary of Facedown Records), to an enthusiastic crowd and unsuspecting press. War Of Ages garnered many a positive review, including Under The Volcano, who said: “ This self-titled debut fuses bottom heavy hardcore rage with explosive metal pyrotechnics perfectly; this is one of the best cd’s I have heard this year.”
To support their debut album, War Of Ages kicked off an almost unprecedented do-it-yourself touring schedule. In 2005 alone, the band played shows alongside As I Lay Dying, Bury Your Dead, and Throwdown and didn’t let up, playing over 250 shows in the same year. Hamp explained, “It’s definitely easy to get burnt out on touring, but that’s the main way we helped our band grow. We feel extremely fortunate for the experiences we’ve had.”
Lyrically, War Of Ages typically likes to keep things positive. Leroy Hamp writes his lyrics based on feeling and puts them into a poetic format. Pride Of The Wicked touches on positivity from the last album, but also expands on that to discuss issues of the heart and the negative side of pride. Hamp said, “The goal of this band is to reach people on a personal level. We want to show everyone that there’s light in a world covered in darkness, to have fun doing what you want to do. We like to set goals for ourselves and continue to set the bar higher and strive for bigger and better things, but never lose sight of what brought us all here in the first place.”
After such an amazing display of dedication and work ethic, War Of Ages was quickly moved up into the reigns of Facedown Records and the band entered the studio to record their second full-length album in June of 2006. Pride Of The Wicked was recorded at the legendary Trax East Studio in New Jersey with Eric Rachel (Atreyu, Hatebreed, Dillinger Escape Plan) and his expertise helped the band fully capture their sound. War Of Ages’ influences shine through on this record, ranging anywhere from In Flames to Children Of Bodom to 80’s epic rock bands, creating one of 2006’s metal masterpieces and helping to redefine the term “crossover album”. Hitting stores on September 5th, 2006, Pride Of The Wicked is jam packed with what will become the anthems of today’s heavy music fans. Be sure to catch War Of Ages on tour all year long!
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